Its Ok, Its Just Me
by Wolfskin1989
Summary: So after Katniss and Gale were trapped outside 12, during which time Katniss discoverers some less then pure and friendly thoughts about her best friend, their relationship blooms into something far more intense. AU Galeniss Lemons & fluff incoming. R&R, set a few months before 'The Hunger Games' written from Katniss's POV. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 Trapped

**A/N** Ok everyone, im back again with yet another Galeniss/Everthorne Fic for you. This is my first attempt at writing smut/lemons and i hope you enjoy it. Please be sure to read the authors note at the end aswell

**Disclaimer: I own Nothing! all characters belong to Suzanne Collins.**

**Trapped**

The buzzing pulls my heart into my throat as reach out and tightly grab Gales arm when I see his callous hand is inches away from the now live fence. His eyes whip around and look from my terrified expression back to the fence. I see his gray eyes open wide in realization. He quickly jerks his hand away and takes two careful steps back, he's staring wide-eyed at the chain links that are now surging with electricity. I pull him hard back into the trees. His bulging eyes still locked on the spot he almost touched. _Where he almost died,_ I think to myself. Dark clouds above us are still pouring heavy rain and I pull my hood up over my head and quickly scan to see if anyone saw us. Once I'm sure were safe I look back to Gale.

The sky is scattered with heavy gray clouds but there is still enough moon light shining and I see him walk to a fallen tree. He leans and sits on the wet trunk. A stream of smoke pours from within his hood in a long sigh. I can't see his face but I see his profile, head bend low, shoulders slowly rising and falling. Rain still falling hard, loudly hitting the treetops and the ground around us, but I think I hear Gale's breath catch in a strangled gasp. I see, by the smoke coming from within the darkness of his hood, that his breathing has returned to normal but he makes no move to stand and join me. I walk over and sit next to him, unsure of what to say.

Gale and I aren't the types to say pointless or stupid things to each other; we communicate much better through looks and gestures, more people of actions then words. So asking him if he's ok would be ridiculously stupid and anyway I already know the answer, of course he isn't, he almost died.

Death is nothing new to us. After all, when over half the population of District 12 is constantly at war with starvation or dying from infection, you tend to get used to the subject and that's before you remember the danger of the mines and The Hunger Games. Gale and I have been lucky to escape the Capitols grasps so far but the next Reaping in a few months time will be my fifth time and Gales seventh and final time. I wouldn't be so worried if we just had the normal amount of slips entered in the reaping bowls but with the tesserae adding our names extra times aswell, the odds are most defiantly not in our favour. If by some miracle were too happened and Gale wasn't reaped and pulled away from my life then he would get his reward of working in the mines.

Those mines scared the hell out of me when I was younger, all I could think about was my father's death down there. I once made myself so sick with worry that my mother kept me home instead of letting me go with my classmates on our yearly trip into the mine shaft. It will be worst for Gale though, he will spend twelve hours a day, six days a week, for the rest of his lift down in the dark. Every breath of coal dust killing him slowly and painfully or maybe, he will die as our fathers did, blown to bits in an accident deep below the ground. I hate any thought of Gale going into the mines just as much as the thought of him being reaped and sent into the Games.

Sudden pressure on my hand makes me look down and I see his hand over mine giving it a gentle squeeze. I look up to his face and my eyes have adjusted enough to see his face from within his hood, giving me a reassuring smile that I return without any hesitation. I wrap his hand within both of mine relived he's ok and still alive.

The heavy rain has eased into a light drizzle and a loud rumble coming from Gale's stomach breaks our the silence. We both grin and I lift the back of my hand to my mouth to stifle my giggle at how the tense situation changed to light humor in a heartbeat. Apart from my sister, Gale is really the only person that brings a genuine smile out of me. Whether it's repeating the stupid jokes he hears from his friends or falling into a bush or stream on purpose. Small things like that always bring a smirk or chuckle from within me.

"Guess were gonna have ourselves a picnic tonight Catnip" Gale says still grinning at me.

"Yep" I say popping the 'P', "another cold, wet meal in the woods. What could be better?" I ask sarcastically, as I'm brought out from a particular fond memory when he really did accidentally trip and fall into an ant's nest. Gale sighs in agreement, pulls out a small bag and offers me some of the wild berries we collected early. I take a small handful and begin to eat, letting each berry flood my moth with juice before swallowing. Gale rummages in his bag trying to find something and pulls out one of the dead rabbits he caught today. He looks up and frowns a little.

"Think the fog is heavy enough to disguise a fire? I don't feel like trying my luck again tonight," he asks looking at the carcass.

I look up to hide the scowl on my face at the memory of his hand so close to the death. Above the clouds are thick with the promise of more rain to come. We are still to close to the fence that I wouldn't try it but if we moved deeper into the woods, maybe back to our meeting place, we would be far enough away so no one could see the glow from a small camp fire. I make the suggestion to Gale.

"Great idea, Catnip. There's dry wood around there too, so that will keep the smoke down," he says happily holding a hand out to me. He helps me to my feet and we take off deeper into the forest.

The clouds have thinned and parted by the time we make our way to the rock, illuminating our surroundings in pale moonlight. I watch and see small birds flying through the trees, bursting out high above as I emerge through the bushes. Gale follows me, carrying a pile of dry wood we had kept well wrapped in plastic for occasions just like this.

It's not the first time we've been trapped outside District 12 nor will it be the last. I'm sure Prim will have checked and seen the fence is live. She will assume that Gale and I are still out here before telling our mothers. They will worry, as they always do whenever we go hunting but no matter how many times will tell them that we will be ok and will return soon. The relief on our family's faces when we do come back would suggest that we've disappeared for years.

Wordlessly I wipe the rain from the rock, take a seat and begin to clean the fattest rabbit we caught today. My hands work automatically allowing my eyes and mind to wonder at will. They settle on watching Gale working methodically, stripping away some of the bark before arranging them neatly for a fire. I admire his skilful hands as they brush over sticks and pieces of wood, my eyes travel up and focus what little I can see of his face within his hood. The rain has stopped completely now leaving us surrounded with a wonderful smell of pine that reminds me of past times in spring.

After a few tries Gale gets a spark and soon our little camp fire is ablaze, warmth spreads around us and I take a seat next to Gale as he removes his jacket to dry close by, I join him on the ground, hand him the carcass and remove my own jacket to dry. He skilful skewers the rabbit on a spit and stakes it to the ground to cook. He lays back and sighs deeply looking up at the few gray clouds above. I look up and see beyond the clouds to the white moon and stars twinkling at us.

I go back to looking at Gale's face, much clearer now he's removed his jacket and lowered his hood to find his eyes have drifted closed. I quickly check to make sure the rabbit is cooking properly before examining his face. The frown lines have smoothed out on his forehead making him look like the young man he is, and not the older man people wrongly mistake him for. I notice for the first time the small amount of stubble on his jaw line and the fullness of his lips.

I think back to the split second when I saw his hand reach out to touch the live fence and the rush of fear coursing through my veins when I thought he was about to die. The idea of Gale dying is so disgusting to me that I want to shout at him for his moment of stupidity but my annoyance is outweighed by my concern for his well-being. I want to tell myself that it's the lack of other hunters in District 12 for my concern but I know it's not that. Calling Gale, just my hunting partner or friend doesn't seem to do our relationship justice anymore. What we have is special. The way we move through the forest in such sync, like a single person, I've never felt that with anyone other than Gale. When we first met, I was missing a part of my life and though I don't say it, in the past year I've found it in him.

A thought comes to the front of my mind and my body moves before I can stop it. I close my eyes and gently push my lips against the corner of Gales. The second our lips meet feels longer and a sudden warmth floods from within me that has nothing to do with the campfire. I see Gales eyes twitch from beneath his lids and I quickly jerk my head back to the carcass in sudden fright. I can feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment as I sense Gale's body shift as he sits up yawning and stretching his arms wide.

"Sorry about that Katniss" he says grinning sheepishly at me "didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"It's alright," I say, not looking at him and I'm thankful my voice sounds normal and steady. "You were only out for a few minutes."

He lets out a long, low whistle in relief. "Really?" he asks surprised, "Felt much longer then that, I even had a dream." I glance to see him smirking towards the fire.

"Was it a good dream?" I ask curiously, my heartbeat starting to hammer a little quicker.

"The best" he says grinning from ear to ear, eyes still on the fire but now seem to have drifted out of focus.

For some reason I feel very proud of myself, "What was it about?" I ask

"Oh nothing important, you know, just one of those stupid… impossible… dreams that's never going to come true. No matter how much you wish it was." he says his voice becoming full of sorrow. I turn to look and see his eyes are hooded and glassy and yet again, I see him take on the mask of someone much older than he is.

We sit in silence until the rabbit is cooked then I begin to slice it in half while trying to ignore the rush of thoughts flowing through my head. _I kissed Gale, _the though keeps buzzing around my head like a swarm of wasps refusing to be ignored. I've never kissed a boy before so I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about it, I defiantly enjoyed it. The feeling of Gale's soft, warm lips against my own but that wasn't all. The warmth that came from within my very core is still there but now feels dimmed, replaced by a different kind of hunger that I'm not used to. Hunger for food that is a feeling I know too well. This is a hunger for something more primal than food.

I finally finished cutting the rabbit in half and hand Gale his share. I have to nudge him twice to make him snap out of whatever thought has him. When his fingertips brush against mine, I feel a jolt inside me, just bellow my belly and can feel my face begin to heat up. I'm thankful my cheeks are well hidden within my hood as I push this new feeling of hunger to one side as I concentrate on eating. It works for a time until he speaks.

"You ok, Catnip? You're very quiet. Even more so than usual" he asks after taking a swig from a canteen of water and offering it to me.

"Yeah, just a little worried" I say before taking a drink, not quite feeling brave enough to explain further. After a moment, he puts his hand on my shoulder and rubs it gently. I slowly turn my face to see him looking at me in understanding. My heart leaps into my throat again and suddenly I'm sure he wasn't actually asleep.

"They'll be ok, Katniss. It's not like this is the first time we've been trapped outside the fence before," he says trying to sooth me. I bite and rip another chuck off the rabbit; nodding, relived that he took my silence for worry about my family.

"Wish I knew why the fence is on though" he wonders aloud, his brow furrowed in confusion as he looks back to the fire, "Do you remember hearing anything about mandatory viewing tonight?"

I shake my head and swallow my mouthful. "Nope, they would have told us at school if there was. Guess they just felt like switching it on for some reason."

"Hopefully this won't become a regular thing. Could you imagine being stuck out here together all night," he says in mock horror accompanied by a crooked grin.

"Oh no!" I exclaim with the same sarcastic terror. We laugh and soon the feeling of comfortable companionship returns. In truth, the idea of being stuck in the woods with Gale doesn't sound that bad to me at all. In fact, the idea of spending more time with Gale anywhere sounds wonderful. We sometimes hang out at school and whenever there is mandatory viewing my family always joins his but we really only spend time together alone when we hunt.

Gale finishes eating before I do and offers to check on the fence. I agree and he quickly slips his now dry jacket back on, before he stands, I reach out and grab his hand. He looks puzzled at my look of concern but then his face relaxes and gives my hand a squeeze. "I'll be careful Catnip. I promise," he says trying to reassuring me. The lump in my throat chokes me so I am unable to speak so I look and focus on his hand gripping mine. He releases my hand and crouches back down to whisper "Promise" softly into my ear before planting a soft kiss on my cheek.

My face floods with colour and my mouth goes very dry in a heartbeat. My ears start ringing so loudly that I don't hear Gale running off through the nearby bush. I reach into my bag and pull out my bottle of water trying to quench my dried mouth and ignore the place where his lips touch my skin. It's not the first time he's done that, if I ever get upset or worried he would often try his best to sooth me with a hug or some kind words before planting a kiss into my hair or cheek. I never took much notice in the past, as I was too concerned with someone else, usually Prim's safety. I take notice of it now though. I brush my hand against the spot his lips touched and it could be my imagination, but I think I feel heat radiating from it. A sudden jolt shoots through me and hit's a point just bellow my stomach and I shudder and squirm at the feeling. Shaking my head to clear it but the point now feels like it's aching and throbbing wonderfully. My hand slowly reaches to the growing wetness between my legs.

The throb and wetness between my legs is something I am somewhat familiar with, but the lack of privacy in my house has never allowed me to touch myself for more than a few minutes while bathing. My hand slips under the waistband of my trousers and I bite my lip to hold back the moan that threatens to escape from between my teeth. I begin to run my fingertips across the bundle of nerves that sends another jolt of electricity through my body like the fence Gale went to check on. _'Gale…' _I think to myself as my fingers brush over my clit, my eyes close and his face fills my thoughts. His strong arms, those soft lips against my skin, his callous fingers squeezing mine just before he left to check on the fence. A deep 'oh' slides softly from my throat at the memory of his touch and I selfishly imagine my own fingers were his right now rubbing me.

I hear him crashing through the forest behind me before I see him, as if he heard my thoughts. I quickly withdraw my hand and wipe it over the damp grass as he burst through the bushes behind me. I find the sight of him thundering towards me strange. In the woods, he normally move so quietly, like a shadow to hide his presents from game. When his face is close enough to see, a heavy lump drops into the pit of my stomach and my face falls at the fear etched on his face.

"Katniss! The fence is still on but we have to put the fire out quick!" he says reaching me, short of breath.

"What happened?" I ask standing, suddenly terrified. He doesn't say anything and we both start to throw dirt onto the fire. When the fire goes out, he stamps on the hot embers trying to stop them from glowing. When we finish his head whips around as if he's searching for something. _Or someone! _I think to myself.

"Gale is someone coming?" I ask sternly. He shakes his head and starts throwing our gear back into our game bags. When he's finished he hands me back my own and starts pulling me roughly back into the forest saying we need to hide. I keep trying to get him to tell me what happened but he refuses to say anything until we are hidden. Once we are back under the treetops he quickly looks around a spots a large bush surrounded by trees. We slide underneath, soon we are hidden, laying flat on our stomachs, our hips, and shoulders touching, we are silent apart from Gale heavy breathing. I see his eyes darting looking for something.

I slip a hand from underneath my chest and firmly grab his shoulder; he jumps and looks straight at me. "What happened Gale? Did someone see you?" I hiss at him.

He takes an annoyingly long moment to catch his breath. "No" he whispers back. "I'm sure no one saw me or the glow from the fire but I saw two Peacekeepers patrolling near where we entered. They kept glancing beyond the fence and I could see the smoke coming from our fire. So I ran back here before they started to look a little to long".

"But Gale, most of the Peacekeepers know we hunt illegal remember? So why would they care?" I asked annoyed.

"Katniss" he sighs sounding just as exasperated as I did, "Think about it. The fence is on, we don't know why but that doesn't matter because they only turn the power on for Capitol business, who's to say they aren't shipping a new batch of Peacekeepers in or someone important will be making an inspection of the District."

I think about his reasoning. It's true all the Districts are inspected from time to time with little warning but usually its during the day. Two or three people from the Capitol walk around the District, stopping and speaking to people at the mine entrances, the school and the square before getting back on the train. But they do inspect parts of the fence, checking for damage or any sign of tampering.

"Either way if Peacekeepers saw us walking around tonight with loaded bags it would be the end of us." he whisper darkly to the wet leaves and dirt.

"You could right" I admit, "Guess we should stay here for now then. Fence probably won't be off for a while." Gale chuckles deeply, as he removes his jacket and slides it under us so we are a little more comfortable, I get a sudden idea. I remove my jacket, Lay it over Gale's shoulders before sliding closer to him so both are torso's are somewhat covered. I feel Gale's arm wrap around my back and feel his fingers rubbing small circles around my side. His touch sends another jolt through my body and yet again, I'm thankful my hood is up and hiding the fire in my cheeks.

For a long while, we lay in silence as the forest comes alive around us. Insects chirping in the underbrush, small drops of rainwater drop from the branches above as birds flit through the treetops. I hear an owls echoing 'Hoot' somewhere behind us in the distances. A small animal's rustling halts and flees when Gale yawns too loudly. Looking closely at him I can see dark circles around his eyes, his lids close for a few long seconds before opening again. He shakes his head a few times fighting off his exhaustion. I take pity on him, telling him to get some sleep, that I feel wide-awake and will keep watch for predators. He tries to protest but after another long yawn, he gives in, turns over and lies on his back using his hands as a pillow.

"Maybe I can finish that dream," he mutters with a grin as he pulls his hood up. His eyes drift close and in a matter of minutes, he's asleep.

I turn to try to see his face; my eyes have adjusted again so I can make out his closed lids and the smirk that's still etched on his face. I roll my eyes and grin. Through the bush and tree limbs above me, I see the clouds thin and part slightly again to expose the silvery moon behind.

After maybe twenty minutes of hearing only forest dwellers and the occasional chirp of a bird, I hear soft murmuring coming from Gale. Turning my head to face him again, I see his face twitching; his soft lips are turned up to make a smirking grin. I wonder briefly, what he was dreaming about before and if he's having the same dream now or if it's a new one. Leaning my ear closer to his mouth, I listen very carefully to his murmurings. Most of it is nonsense or unintelligible mumblings apart for one thing he keeps repeating. _'caa' _

'Caa?' I think to myself completely confused, what the hell is he dreaming about? Is he trying to say 'car?' is he dreaming about cars? No that's ridicules. Gale's never been in a car before. Does he want a ride in one? I want to shake him to find out what's going on in his head but he starts mumbling again _'Caa…Cat…Cat…Katniss'. _The realization catches me off guard but fills my heart; the smile comes to my face without any thought.

The loud snap of a branch grabs my attention and my face whips to look in the general direction. I peer through the branches of the bush that hide us and scan the area in front of me. I can only make out tree trunks, leaves, sticks and other bushes. Then I see something silvery white move in the distance, moving from the place were our fire was. I've never seen any animal with bright white fur in the woods before. The horror comes over me and I know it's a Peacekeeper.

I nudge Gale hard and feel him jerk awake; he turns towards me and hisses low "what is it?"

I point to the area where I saw it and whisper "something white just like a Peacekeepers uniform. You were right Gale, you were right". My whole body shakes and I feel my throat starting to tighten, suddenly I can't breathe, and I want to run back home but my body refuses to move. Gale wraps my hand in his and I can feel his other hand rubbing my back again. He whispers in my ear trying to sooth me, telling me we will be ok, that were well hidden but I remember our tracks will be easily spotted in the fresh mud. The next branch that snaps in much closer and I almost let out a squeak in panic. My breathing returns but it's too heavy and certainly loud enough for anyone to hear; I try to not cry out but can't stop myself from wheezing. Gale is still holding my hand but he realizes that it's not working so he turns my head to face him and seemingly without thinking clamps his mouth to mine.

My panic at the possibility of being caught by a Peacekeeper roaming around, so close to us is assaulted by the shock of Gale lips on mine. My frantic thoughts are bouncing all around my head so I can't think straight. I try to think back to previous moments of panic, like when I was treed by a pack of wild dogs or when Prim came down with a fever and I didn't know what to do. My mother had taken care of Prim and the dogs had grown board and left. Feeling Gales mouth coax mine open all thoughts of Prim, my mother, dogs and Peacekeepers vanish.

My muscles tense then relax as I respond instinctively. My hand wraps around the back of his neck as I pull him closer to me, deepening the kiss. Gales hand snakes around my back as he draws my body closer to his, the nails of my free hand slide up and down his arms, scratching the hard muscle of his forearm, the throbbing between my legs is back and pulsating wonderfully and when Gale's thigh accidentally brushes close to it, I let out a small gasp in surprise. I feel Gale jump then still and his touch becomes gentle, his kiss now feel less chased and more sensual. I'm confused at this shift and then I remember I've never touched a boy before like this let alone kissed one. Gale must guess this and I understand he's holding himself back for my sake. His caring caress fills my heart like food and I take control. Lying on my back, I pull him down to me returning our kiss back to when it was deeper, full of passion.

Gale responds and soon his tongue slowly, experimentally probes my mouth, my jaw drops as I allow him entrance. Gale takes the lead again. Rolling his tongue around my mouth, brushing it against my own in invitation, I respond and soon our tongues roll around within each others mouths. Lost in the moment I slip my hand under his shirt. My fingertips find and stroke the hard muscles of his chest. I run my nails up and down the smooth lines of his stomach muscles a few times and when my finger rubs his nipple, I feel a rush of air come from Gale's nostrils. He momentarily stops our kiss and gazes down at me, breathing heavily to catch his breath. I can just make out the devilish grin of warmth and desires in his stormy gray eyes mix with concern. I run my hand across his chin, up his jaw line and let it rest on his cheek. He closes his eyes, leans his head into my palm for a second before kissing each of my fingertips.

He leans back down and plants small kisses around my face. I shut my eyes, losing myself in his touch as I feel his lips close around my lower lip giving it a gentle suck and nip. When I feel his mouth move to my neck I squirm slightly, my hand rests on top of his head as I gently push him down my body. I hear him chuckle quietly but soon feel his warm hand slip under my shirt. He softy rubs my belly; his fingers slide up and over my ribcage before they find my bra. He stops kissing my collarbone, looks up at me under heavy lids and I nod my permission. He continues his kisses and soon his hands slips behind my back and after a few tries; he unhooks my bra and lifts it up.

I find this somewhat strange and amusing; Gale has always been so skilful with his hands. After all, he's been setting delicate snares for years now, so why would his fingers fumble now? If what I've overheard from some of the girls at school are true, this is not the first bra he has removed. The thought of Gale with other girls, removing their bras fills me with envy and I push my now freed breasts into his eager hand. He lifts my shirt higher, revealing them to him and while his fingertips brush over one of my already harden nipple his mouth closes around the other. I'm squirming again lost in his skilful hand and mouth as he gently sucks on my nipple. I try my best to not cry out in pleasure as my breasts tingle and instead a whispered moan of Gales name escapes from between my teeth.

His hand leaves my breast and his fingers begin to make a long slow trail down my stomach to the where the throbbing ache lies. I feel the want for him to move his hand into the wetness pooling in my underwear battle with my pleasure as he flicks my hard nipple with the tip of his tongue. I grab a handful of his dark and push his face harder into my breast as he counties to lick and suck on my nipple. Using my other hand I push his hand down my belly. He soon figures out my want and his fingers slide under the waistband of my trousers, then my underwear.

His hard fingers brush through my pubic hair as his head comes back up and claps his mouth against mine again. When his finger slides up and down my wet folds, my muscles shudder and I gasp into his mouth at the contact. I relax again and open my legs wider giving him better access to me. He adds a little more pressure and rubs the aching spot harder, a rush of air come from between my teeth and I moan into his mouth. His rubbing becomes quicker and more wanting as he feels my own want growing wetter. I feel the evidence of his own arousal pressing up against my thigh, feeling proud and frankly flattered that I can have this effect on him I slide my free hands down over the bulge. He gasps and his hand momentarily stops rubbing me. His eyes close as my fingers slide up and down the rough fabric of his trousers, I feel him inhale deeply and groan quietly. Enjoying the moment of him almost at my mercy I roll my tongue over his lips and give him a squeeze, his eyes open again and I see a sexy smirk slide over his face. His lips wrap around my nipple again as he goes back to rolling his fingertips around me, rubbing my clit harder causes me to lose my rhythmical stroking of him. Frustratingly slow, he slides a finger inside me and holds it there. My back arches as our mouths break apart and I gasp much louder than I should.

A soft footfall makes us still instantly, our heads turn in unison. Panic returns to both of our eyes and from between branches I look expecting to see the white boot of a Peacekeeper but instead I'm staring at a pair of muscular silver white legs with paws instead of feet. Glancing up I see the long white muzzle, pointed ears and intelligent eyes of a huge wolf. I see its head turn from left to right, searching for something. The creature lowers its head, nose twitching as it sniffs the ground painfully close to us. The beast growls deeply in its chest and its muzzle draws back exposing huge dagger-like teeth. From the comer of my eye I see Gales hand pick up a rock and throw it behind us. The thud draws the beast's eyes as they lock onto a tree the rock bounced off and after a heartbeat, the creature turns and bolts.

Hearing the wolf's retreating sounds I release the breath I didn't know I was holding in as Gale slides out from our hiding place. I know he's gone to check the creature has really gone. I relax and notice that I am half-naked. Feeling embarrassed I quickly hook my bra back into place and lower my shirt that Gale had so expertly lifted.

I few moments later, I hear Gales soft voice coming from nearby my head. "It's safe to come out now" I look out and see his outline looking down into the bush. I am speechless from both what we just did and the sight of the huge beast so close to us. I'm suddenly glad at the lack of light and that the branches obscuring Gales view of my burning face.

"Catnip?" he asks gently pushing a hand through the bush to me. Slowly I reach out and take his hand in mine as he helps me out of the bush. Sliding out and getting to my feet, I remember to pull both our jackets out with me. Gale is silent as I hand his back, slipping my own back on I zip up the front starting to feel much more exposed than I am so I pull up my hood aswell. My eyes still haven't lifted to meet his but his finger touches under my chin and I feel him trying to lift it. I shy away still feeling embarrassed.

"Catnip, its ok. It's just me" he whispers softy as he pulls me into his chest for a gentle embrace. My hand settles on his chest and I start to think about pushing him away but his steady heartbeat and strong arms helps to calm me. I inhale deeply taking in his scent of pine needles and something else I can only describe as Gale.

As my thudding heartbeat slows and returns to normal, my thoughts calm and I can start think clearly. The more immediate thought I have is what happened beneath that bush but I know I'm not ready to address those thoughts and feelings just yet. I can tell Gale knows not to try and press me on the issue maybe he doesn't know how he feels either. The next thought I have is just as confusing as the first but it's something we can talk about without feeling awkward.

"What was that thing?" I ask into Gale's chest.

"No idea" he shrugs, "could be a Capitol mutt?"

Gale could be right, the only mutts we sometimes encounter are Tracker Jackers but we are always careful enough to spot them and move away slowly. "I can't see what use release a huge white wolf would be though" I say into his chest, "maybe it came down from the mountains."

"Well hopefully it's gone back to wherever it came from," Gale says breaking our embrace. A rush of wind pulls my attention to the east and in the distance; I see the inky black sky starting to fade and grow lighter. All of a sudden I think how long we've been out here my mother and Prim would have gone to sleep worried about me. Gale follows my eyes, must come to the same conclusion because he holds his hand out to me, and nods in the direction back to District 12.

I think for a second that feels like an hour before gladly taking his hand in mine and we begin the short walk back to the fence. After a few minutes of scanning and we are sure there are no Peacekeepers in sight, we emerge from the trees, moving silently towards the chain links. Taking an extra long moment to be absolutely sure that there is no hum coming from it we quickly slip under and both let out a huge sigh of relief. I feel the last of my muscles un-knot and relax once we are back in the District, I grin to myself stupidly, Gale chuckles low and plants a small kiss to my temple.

The Seam is silent and deserted as we walk hand in hand back to my house, passing only a few lights from within houses, probably belonging to those miners who have early shifts. We are soon within sight of my front door and Gale leans against a nearby tree. In the glow of a nearby porch light, I see him smirking at me. I've never really noticed until now just how handsome he is. His confident smirk, stormy gray eyes full of mischief. I can't help but roll my eyes and smirk back at him warmly. He slips his hands into his pockets and steps towards me.

"So Catnip, it's the harvest festival tomorrow, well technically tonight," he says with a smile as he glances up at the sky. "How'd you like an escort?" he adds with a wink.

I laugh low in my throat at his question. He knows very well that our families go to the festival together but I decide to play along by stepping towards him. "That would be wonderful, thank you," I say in the mocking Capitol accent. He laughs as he takes my hand and plants a tender kiss to my knuckles.

His head tilts up to gaze at me through heavy eyelashes as his lips continue to brush over the small scars on the back of my hand, looking into his eyes and can almost feel the warm glow emanating from within them mix with a lustful desire. I move my hand from his grasp, wrapping it around his neck and pulling him to me in a long deep kiss, flooding it with passion. As our mouth connect and open for each other, Gale snakes a hands around my waist, pulling our hips together before cupping my butt and giving it a slight squeeze. I hum happily at the pressure and slide my tongue along his bottom lip.

Our lips brake apart at the distance sound of a dark barking and he, looking reluctant suggests we should both get some rest, I pout disgruntled at the idea. After that last kiss, I feel hungry for another and one more after that, and even more after that. I'm on the verge of acting on the thought when I remember Prim inside. She will have gone to sleep hours ago, probably curled up with my mother worrying about where I am. It takes a huge amount of will power to take the first step towards my house and not back into Gale arms. He walks me all the way to my door and plants one last gentle kiss to my lips before whispering "Goodnight, Katniss."

"Goodnight, Gale" I whisper, my lips brushing against his one final time before I reluctantly withdraw my hand from he's cheek and disappearing inside my house. Leaning against the door, I sigh happy to be safe and home. I hear Gales soft retreating footsteps as he walks away from the other side of the door. Peering through the nearest window, I see his retreating back as he turns the corner and disappears from my sight.

Five minutes later, I crawl under the sheets. Id moved silently through the house and after checking to see Prim sleeping soundly in my mother's room. My mom's arms wrapped around her and Buttercup lying at the end of the bed. His ears prick up at the doors creak and he turned to glare at me. I return the look and imagine drowning him and using his fur to line my boots. True, id never do it, but the thought makes me smile.

I climb onto my rough mattress, dressed in only my underwear pulling the thin sheet up to my shoulders. I close my eyes and let my thoughts wonder. My mind drifts over thoughts of huge white wolves, the smells and sounds of the forest and finally settle on Gale's hands and mouth on me, roaming over my skin. As I reach between my legs, I replicate my actions from when I was alone at the campfire. After a long, enjoyable time, I finally release the low breath I held in to stop myself crying out, feeling utterly spent and muscles twitching wonderful I pull the sheet back over me as I roll onto my side and drift off smirking to myself.

**A/N:** Well, i dunno about you guys but I'm really happy with this. i was a little unsure in parts but overall I'm pretty pleased with it. Now sadly i need some help, id really like to continue this but im unsure of future story lines and such, there are one or two things i could expand on but i'm just not sure if you guys would find it boring. so if you have any suggestions at all as to where i can take this, please feel free to PM me. Don't forget to leave a review and hopefully (Fingers crossed) ill see you next time.

Wolfskin


	2. Chapter 2 Dancing

**An: Hello readers, happy to be back with another chapter for you. first off id like to thank everyone who left a review, PM me, Fav and is now following this story. you guys make me want to write more and more. also thanks to those who helped me out with my spelling and grammar, i know i am terrible, i do try but i am only human :). **

**Ok so i know i said i wasn't sure what to do next but i did leave the Harvest Festival just hanging there for me to use so here we are. This chapter is more Fluff then lemons but still Galeniss so its all good, right?**

**Gale Lover: thanks, glad you enjoyed it. long live Everthorne :) **

**Ellenka: Ditto, guess they will have to wait abit longer to be "Alone".**

**FanFicforyou: thanks for the ideas, im still thinking about where im going with this but im afraid there will be more lemons to come.  
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**katbow: i really don't know where to start, we will find out what on earth Gale was dreaming about eventually. Glad you enjoyed the gentleman side of Gale, it bugs me that some HG fans just think he's all cocky, selfish and full of rage where as i always sore him as a much more gentle soul but having to put on a tough front for the sake of his family. thanks aswell for future plans, ive got some ideas buzzing now but i need to figure a few things out first.**

**P.s. did anyone else see all the new TV spot for Mockingjay part 1? grrrrr gonna be so annoyed when i see it and see there making Gale all angry and such (I know, i know he kinda is but he's not like that to Katniss is he!). Also very happy to announce that I'm going to the Premier in London in just over 2 weeks time. very excited, fingers crossed i can get my Picture with Jennifer, Liam, Josh and hopefully Woody. **

**But anyway, On with the story! Enjoy!**

****Disclaimer: I own Nothing! all characters belong to Suzanne Collins****

**Festival and Dancing**

I empty the last of the water over my head and let out a sigh. The water has cooled enough so it doesn't burn my skin. In the Seam, pouring water that's been boiled over a stove is the closest thing to a hot shower most people can manage. My mother had insisted that we all look clean and presentable for the festival tonight. Normally I would complain saying that boiling all this water would be a waste, however since I spent the whole of last night out in woods, I couldn't simply brush the dried dirt off my hands (not to mention the dried dirt on other parts of my skin that should have been covered), I figured it was a good idea.

The events of what happened in the woods last night have been bouncing around my head ever since I woke up. Id emerged from my room to find my mother and Prim just about to sit down, for what I first thought was breakfast, had turn out to be a late lunch. I looked over to the small cracked clock face in the corner to find id slept all morning. I reprimanded myself before remembering that I didn't actually fall asleep until early morning, preoccupied as I was with my own selfish 'activities'. The memory had brought a hot flush to my cheeks and I found that I couldn't meet my mothers or Prim's eyes.

"Well good afternoon, sleepyhead" Prim said, grinning at me. I stepped forward, kissed her forehead and yawning my own greeting.

"I was just about to come a wake you" my mother says in a soft voice, clutching two chipped plates of flat dense bread made from the tesserae grain with some dried blackberries id collected and she had preserved.

My muscles tense, like they always do when she speaks to me. I shot her my usual look of contempt and sat down saying "Well I'm awake now". She didn't say anything else after that; she set the plates in front of Prim and myself. We ate while my mother made us all cups of herb tea and another plate of food for herself; I ignored the glances she threw towards me with ease. This is something I've become very proficient at since my father died in the mines and she sort of died herself. In the early days I was terrified and frustrated with her, now I more or less ignore her completely. The only thing that stops me from yelling or sneering at her is the small film of tears that appears in Prim's eyes when she see me starting to glare at our mother.

For Prim's sake, I keep my hatred for our mothers weakness silent, at least around the house. In the past, when it became too much for me to take, I took off for the woods and taken out my annoyance on a random tree, firing arrow after arrow into the hard bark. I had stopped doing that after Gale found me and pointed out that my arrows were breaking faster than I could make them. He asked me what was the matter but I just brush it off telling him it was nothing. After the fourth time he asked, I snapped and started taking my frustration out on him instead. I shudder now at the memories of that day. I had shouted at him until my voice became hoarse then just settled on hitting every part of him as hard as I could. He never spoke or moved to defend himself; he just stood there taking my abuse and blows. After a long time, my ragged breaths became a sobs and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulled me close to him and made soft "Shh-ing" sounds into my hair. It was a long time since I came to my senses and apologised for attacking him, he accepted straight away and told me to not to bottle up these thoughts and emotions, that it wasn't going to do me any good. Ever since that day, Gale was the only person, other than Prim, who I trust enough to share my secrets with and he in turn shared his with me.

I had finished the last of my berries, stretched my arms high and gave a groan as my muscles popped. Prim giggled at me then began asking about what happened last night. My eyes went wide and all I could think about was Gale's hands roaming underneath my underwear. "Err," I said, my neck beginning to grow very hot as I tried to collect my thoughts.

Unexpectedly, my mother came to my rescue. "Yes, Prim said the fence was on" she said looking concern. Then I remember why Gale and I were trapped outside the District in the first place.

"O yeah, Gale and I were on our way back when we heard the fence was on. So we sort of camped out there till it was turned off again." I said quickly to cover my tracks. "Didn't manage to get back until early this morning." Prim seems satisfied with my explanation and my mother nods silently.

"Wonder why the fence was on at all? There wasn't any announcement at school," Prim asked aloud. My mother shrugged and I told her about Gale's suggestion about a possible District inspection. My mother said there was no sign or word of an impending inspection and the topic faded away in puzzlement. Then Prim talked animatedly about the festival tonight, I indulged her saying that we were still going with the Hawthorne's and that id brought home some extra game that we could take enough with us to share.

"It's going to be so much fun Katniss!" she squeaked at me excitedly bouncing up and down in her chair. "You'll dance with me wont you?"

"Of course I will, little duck," I said beaming at her. Id glance over and sore my mothers face fall as she washed the dishes. Prim followed my eyes and I saw her own smile falter. After a second, she lent close to whisper something in my ear.

"Do you mind if I dance with Mom aswell tonight?" she asked. I was about to consider this but the sound of her voice was so hopeful that I shook my head knowing that I wouldn't deny her this simple request. She smiled brightly saying "Thanks Katniss" then added, in an off-handed tone, "and don't worry you can dance with Gale at some point." I gagged on my tea at Prim's last words. Out of the corner of my eyes, I glanced at her, was it my imagination or was there something in her blue eyes.

Before I could get a closer look, our mother told us that we should both wash up for tonight. Prim went first and my mother followed her with a pot of hot water, while I grabbed two empty pots and headed outside to pump up more water. My mother followed after her and between trips I tidied up the house, cleaned the rabbits and squirrels for tonight and soon it was my turn to clean up.

I emerge from the washroom wrapped in a damp towel and see my mother and Prim have already changed. Prim is in a light gray blouse and skirt and my mother is in one of the few dress she still owns. They both wear aprons over their clothes as they lean over the stove. The delicious smell of rabbit wafts through the house and my mouth floods with saliva. I walk to my room and find another one of my mothers dresses and a pair of woolen leggings laid out for me. I look at the clothes astounded. My mothers clothes are one of the few things she brought with her when she married my father, one of the few things she has that remind her of her old life. Letting me wear it may seem like a small thing but it speaks volumes to me.

I slip on the leggings, the soft wool warming my still slightly damp legs. The dress is light as a feather as I pick it up and slip it over my head. Looking at myself in the small cracked mirror in the corner I'm amazed at how different I look. The pale blue dress fits me pretty well; the soft fabric hugs my body comfortably, the hem falling loosely to my knees. I shrug and brush my fingers through my damp hair. The door squeaks open and Prim's head poke around to see me. "Oh Katniss" she gasps looking at me as she enters, "You look beautiful!" I smile and continue to braid my hair. In the mirror, I see the reflection of her angelic face fall.

"What's the matter?" I say looking back at her.

"I wish I looked as good," she mumbles, looking down at hem of her own skirt.

"Oh no, little duck. I wish I looked as good at you," I say, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, trying to sooth her. She giggles and starts running her fingers through my loose hair.

"Are you going to braid your hair tonight?" she asks.

My brow furrows at her question "yeah…I was," I say slowly, "why? Do you think I should leave it down or-"

"NO!" she says loudly making both of us jump as we break apart, "I mean, no I think you should keep it in your braid" she says her voice returning to normal as she slowly backs out of the room.

"O…kay" I say slowly, my curiosity truly peeking now. I'm about to ask her why she's acting so strange but she darts from the room before I speak. I ponder Prim's behavior as I finish braiding my hair and slip on my well-worn hunting boots. I dimly notice that the build up of dirt has been brushed away, the soft leather appears shinier then when I last took a close look at them.

Prim is clutching the old threadbare blanket as I come back into the kitchen. My mother slipping the cooked meat into a sealed plastic bowl, that she puts into a basket along with a bag holding a generous amount of greens, a couple of dense tesserae rolls and a canteen of water. The amount of food we are taking for the picnic is a practical feast for the three of us but of course, it's going to be added to the food Gale's family will bring aswell and shared between eight of us.

I take a seat on the couch and remember that this will be the first time I've seen Gale since last night. I've been expecting the shock or embarrassment from what happened out in the woods to creep up on me ever since I woke up today but it still hasn't come. I try to wrap my head around how I felt about Gale's lips and hands roaming around my body. I'm sure I enjoyed it, his fingertips setting my body on fire and his eyes full of warmth and desire still brings a grin to my face. But what did it mean? Was it just the fear of being caught by a Peacekeeper that made him kiss me? Was it that my own anxieties that made me kiss him back? I'm still so confused.

The loud knock at the front door makes me jump to my feet and I look to the door. My mother goes and opens the door revealing Gale and his little brother Rory standing up straight, their hands tucked behind their backs, grinning politely. My mother returns their smiles and ushers them to come in. Rory comes in first looking slightly uncomfortable in his shirt and trouser that seem to be a little too big for him but he does his best to not let it show. The rest of Gale's family enters after. His mother Hazelle is dressed in a flowery frock clutching 4-year-old Posy in her arm, while 11-year-old Vick trails behind her carrying another basket and waving at my mother in greeting.

I brush dust and soot away from my dress before my eyes take in Gale as he steps around the couch towards me. He still looks as handsome as he did when he stood under the tree even more so, dressed in black trousers and a simple gray shirt that almost matches his eyes. His hair has been combed back and the small amount of stubble has vanished since last night. The thought of last nights 'activates' makes my eyes drop to the floorboards, heat creeps up my neck to the tips of my ears but I quickly recover and look back at him. A crooked smirk spreads across his face and one of his eyes closes in a wink. His hands are still behind his back and when his two feet away from me I see him give Rory a nod.

Puzzled once again, I see Rory take a deep breath and step towards Prim, who is standing by our tiny dining table. Her face looks just as confused as my own but she smiles good-naturedly at him when he stops, standing a couple of feet in front of her.

Rory's cheeks have grown slightly pinkish in the candle light, as he shoots Gale one last terrified look before he starts to mumble something inaudible to his shoes. Gale says in a loud whisper "to her eyes, Rory. Remember say it to her eyes." Rory takes one more deep breath before his eyes lift to my sister's face.

"Um…Prim? Would you er… g-grant me the biggest honour by um… allowing me to escort you to the er… Festival tonight?" he says trying to project an air of confidence but failing when his voice breaks. A flash of something crosses his little face and from behind his back, he produces a flower connected to a pin and offers it to Prim. Her eyes go wide with surprise as she looks from Rory's hopeful face to the flower and back again. Her cheeks match his as they go pink, she gives a small nod and whispers "sure" and lets him pin the flower to her blouse.

A small chuckle from Gale brings my attention back to him as he to produces a similar flower for me. "Katniss, will you grant me the biggest honour of allowing me to escort you to the harvest festival?" he says sounding much calmer and far more confident than Rory did. I grin, try to stifle the giggle bubbling in my chest and say, "Yes Gale I will." I step closer to him and as he pins the flower to the front of my dress, his hand brush against the top of my chest. My body shudders at the contact and our eyes meet, he gives me a grin but doesn't say a word.

"Alright is everyone ready to go?" Hazelle asks the room. Everyone respond aloud except Prim and Rory who just nod silently and soon the eight of us begin the walk into the main square. Vick takes the lead carrying his basket and occasionally yelling back at everyone to hurry up. Our mothers follow, Hazelle still carrying Posy, whose little head keeps whipping around to look at the other people walking around of us. Then its Prim and Rory who seem to be having trouble meeting each others eyes. Gale and I bring up the rear occasionally laughing at the little nervous smiles our siblings are throwing at each other. Gale lowers his head to whisper in my ear, the rush of warm air against my skin brings goose bumps to my neck.

"He's been pacing around the house ever since I woke up. Took him for a walk around the Seam to tray and calm him down. Thought he would have relaxed after he gave her the flower." his brow furrowed as he continues to watch the small, silent exchanges between them.

The idea comes to the front of my mind and I quickly act on it. I reach out, wrap my arm around Gales, and smoothly slip my hand into his; he stumbles at the contact but quickly recovers himself before gazing down at me as I pull him closer to me. I do my best to ignore the warmth from Gale body so close to mine and hiss Prim's name when we are closer enough to them. I have to say her name two more times before she looks around to me. I nod from Gale and my intertwined hands then nod to Rory. I see the realisation in her eyes and after a few very long moments, she nervously reaches out, pulls his hand from his pocket and slips her hand into his. Rory jumps then looks from their hands to Prim's face which breaks into a shy smile.

I feel Gale's body shake as he laughs. Then he leans back down and whispers in my ear again, "You never fail to amaze me, Catnip." I can hear the smile in his voice and am about to tell him, more bravely then I should about how I am full of surprises when his lips brush against my cheek, which immediately flood with colour.

Ten minutes later, we arrive at the merchant square. Groups of families mill around everywhere chatting happily, sharing news and food. District Twelve may not be the richest District, the people who live here might not be the best looking or be the healthiest but one thing everyone who lives here agrees on is that when it comes to parties and festivals we cannot be beat. The center of the square has been cleared away and wooden planks have been laid down as a make shift dance floor. The resident band are standing on a raised stage playing and grinning merrily. Hazelle leads us over to the far corner of the square where a large area has been cleared for people to use as a picnic area; we find a free spot and set down our blankets next to each other. Soon everyone sits in a circle Prim and I sitting next to each other with Gale on my left and Rory on her right. Our mothers serve out the food and soon our circle is full of the sounds of chewing as everyone eats happily. Gale does his best to keep a conversation going with me but he's finding it hard due to Posy's constant pleas for attention.

Looking around I spot the bakers son Peeta Mellark wandering around with a tray of something, he bends down and offers the something to a family a little way away from our own. I return my eyes to my plate of food trying not to think about the only interaction I've had with the baker's son so many years ago. He has probably forgotten about it but I know I never will. Gale must have followed my eyes because he quickly stands up and quickly dashes over to Peeta. They're too far away to hear but I see him point back to our group. My eyes meet Peeta's for a split second before his go back to Gales; he nods and holds the tray out to him. Gale picks up a few of whatever it is before reaching into his pocket, I see Peeta shaking his head and walking off in the opposite direction.

Gale soon returns and notices that his brief absence has not gone unnoticed by our families. He smiles and shows everyone the four iced cookies in his hands. The kids look in awe at the cookies as he snaps each one in half and hands everyone half each. Vick and Rory immediately begin to scoff down theirs while Prim and Posy study the iced pattern upon their own. Hazelle gives Gale a questioning look as she accepts her own half.

"He didn't want anything for them," Gale says with a shrug.

"Well that was certainly kind of him," my mother says glancing over in the direction of Peeta's retreating back. I'm on the verge of telling her that the loafs of bread I brought home years ago were giving to me by Peeta but that peace of my past has always seemed little secret between Peeta and I. Looking sideways, I see Gales brow furrow as his whole body tenses. He looks down at the last whole cookie he hasn't snapped in half, lost in some thought.

I take a guess at where his head has gone. One sure-fire way to rub Gale the wrong way is to suggest that the merchant class of people are not as bad as he thinks. Of course, he knows that his anger is misplaced, that it's the Capitol, not the people in town who deserve his fury but the small injustice he sees in District Twelve every day only helps to remind him of the bigger picture.

Tentatively I reach out and grip his forearm; rubbing small circles in the crook of his elbow until I see him visible relax. His shoulders slump and his head lulls forward for a second before his eyes meet mine. He sighs deeply and withdraws his arm out of my grasp, sliding it around my shoulders and pulling me to him in a rough hug. My hand goes around his waist and settles on his hip. I sigh at the contact, there's something about how my simple actions can momentarily calm his fire that fills me with pride, as if I am the only one who can bring him back, back to reality, back to his family and back to me.

He hands me the last unbroken cookie, "You eat it, I'm not that hungry," he says with a shrug. I'm about to ague but he stops me with a look. He gives the same 'I can be just a stubborn as you can' look, he always gives me whenever I'm about to argue when he lets me have the extra money or meat from our trades. I give in and mumble a "thank you" as I bite into cookie.

Lanterns are glowing brightly in the fading sunlight around us as we finish devouring our meal. Vick helps our mothers to clear away the plastic plates while Rory and Prim, who seem to have gotten over their earlier awkwardness, are now chatting happily about Prim goat. Rory is grinning and nodding enthusiastically as he listen to how she makes her cheese from the milk. Posy is looking confused as she struggles to understand Gale's explanation about what the Harvest Festival is.

"Ok Pose, you know how they grow vegetables and stuff in District eleven yeah?" he starts and Posy nods slowly. "Well a long time ago, people used to grow them everywhere and before the weather started to get really cold, farmers would collect the crops so people had enough to eat during winter. After all the crops were collected the farmers and other people would come together, like this to have a party, you know to have fun and dance and stuff like that." he finishes with a grin and I see Posy little eyes squint as she tries to understand something.

"So how come we don't grow stuff here?" she says cocking her head to the side. Gale's shoulders slump and now he struggles to find the right words for a little four-year old to understand exactly how the country works.

Hazelle swoops in to rescue Gale as she takes Posy and sits her in her own lap. "Because if we did that then no one would have any coal and people would be sad because their homes would be cold," she says trying to sound cheerful. Posy still seems to be confused but a loud cheer from the square draws everyone's attention. A moment later, the sounds of drums and fiddles echoes from the distance stage.

"Katniss!" Prim squeaks and I see the excitement in her clear blue eyes. She quickly gets to her feet and takes off towards the music. I have to run to catch up with her, sliding through the crowd, trying to keep her in my sights and we quickly find a place close to edge of the dance floor. We take a second to join hands and get the rhythm of the drumbeat before we begin to move.

I laugh as Prim and I swing and weave around each. I remember myself doing the same thing with my father years ago; I'm taken back to the old carefree days before I had anxieties about being reaped or dying of starvation. Back when my father seemed to be able to solve any problems with a smile or a song. Glancing around I see Rory dancing with Hazelle and Gale, standing on the other side of the wooden square bouncing on the spot with a clapping Posy held in the crook of his arm.

I catch Gale's eye and see him give me the smallest wink followed by a devilish smirk that immediately take me back to the previous night. The memory catches me off guard and I almost trip over until Prim grabs my arm. I quickly find my feet and look over to see Gales grinning broadly at me just as the fiddler finishes the song with a flourish. The crowd applauds as the group of musicians smile and bow. Hazelle, Rory, Prim and I move back to the edge of the floor just as the fiddler strikes up another tune. A much slower one.

Prim quickly finds and pulls our mother out from the crowd and leads her somewhere to join the other dancers. I see Hazelle take Posy from Gale's arms and nod over to me, he smiles a little sheepishly at her before his eyes meet my own. Suddenly I'm rooted to the wooden planks beneath my feet and the simple action of moving towards Gale seems much harder than it should be. He takes a deep breath and steps in my direction. My surroundings seem to slow down and speed up at the same time, my legs begin to shake so badly that I'm surprised everyone hasn't turn to stare at my knees that, to me sound like woodpeckers hammering on a tree.

Sooner than I'm ready, I see him standing less than two feet in front of me. His cheeks have a slight pinkish tinge to them and he looks somewhat nervously at me. After a brief moment of hesitation, he lifts a hand to me in invitation. It might be just because I am so used to him but in this moment, it is as if I can read his thoughts, using our way of silent communicating. The thought of his hand reaching into the bush to help pull me out after he checked to make sure the white wolf has vanished and the sound of his voice _'Catnip, its ok. It's just me.' _That's right, it's still just Gale, my hunting partner, my best friend, my… Ok he's defiantly something more to me aswell, but he's still the same Gale I've known for years, still the same person I've shared so many hours and secrets with. My hand enters his just as I come to realise what the new thing he is to me now. He's mine.

Our eyes never break contact as Gale gently leads me through other dancers who are holding each other closely, swaying slowly to the long clear notes from the fiddler. When we find a clear space on the dance floor, our hands land on each others hips at the same moment. We join the swaying crowd, slowly rocking from side to side. Looking up his face, I see him still looking at me sheepishly. I completely forget about my nerves and anxieties that our mothers and siblings might be watching us as I give him a small comforting smile and lay my hand and head against his chest. He lays a gentle hand against the my back and kisses my hair, my eyes close as I sigh content to stay like this forever. I breathe him in deeply, his body smells familiar and I lose myself in his scent any trace of embarrassment is completely gone now. All I can feel now is warmth spreading from deep within my body as we sway. I smile at how right this feels, at how even in this new situation we are in. We still move in such sync, like two halves of a whole being and I now realise that something important has fallen into place.

I have no idea how long we stay like this but it cannot be long because the fiddler is still playing the same slow song when I lift my eyes back up to find Gales. He looks like his dazed or daydreaming, eyes half closed, blinking slow and lazily. When they slide back down to meet mine, I see them clear and widen. Uncertainty floods into them and I can feel him shake himself like a dog trying to banish an annoying fly. He looks less dreamy and more longingly now and I see him growing frustrated as he tries to determine my thoughts. I decide to help him out.

I raise myself up slightly and the sides of our noses brush. "It's ok, Gale" I whisper, tilting my head a little, "It's just…" I run my fingers up his chest, along his jaw line and settle on his cheek "Me." I get out before pushing my lips against his in a lingering kiss.

His grip around me tightens for a moment before he relaxes. We still momentarily, his lips match my pressure as his fingers draw small circles on my waist. When the kiss comes to a natural end, his forehead leans forwards and rest against mine. We stand there basking in this moment, drinking in the atmosphere and each others warmth. I peak from under my lashes and see his eyes are still closes, I give him a quick kiss and they open. His smirk brings a smile to my lips.

The round of applauds makes me jerk back quickly. I half expect to see a sea of eyes staring at me but everyone seems to be looking up at the stage. Gale gives a hearty laugh and I blush embarrassed as he pulls me into a fierce embrace as the clapping slowly dies down. I'm flushed and short of breath as Gale releases me but I recover in a heartbeat, when the fiddler strike up a much more familiar tune.

Our faces break into the same enormous grin and in unison; we join hands and take our places. Other, much older people who still remember the song match our stance and after a pause the drums kick in and join the fiddle, everyone moves instantly. The tune is one of the Districts favorites, its upbeat, happy and easy to dance too. There is an actually routine to go with it but no one ever remembers it fully, even the old timers seem to have forgotten. Everyone knows how it starts and how it ends but the middle part is the gray area so most people just make something up. My father was particularly fond of indulging Prim or my whims when we would dance to the song. Gale and I decide to keep it simple but still enjoyable as we link arms and swing each other around and around. I practically squeal in delight, as I grow dizzier by the second. Gale holds onto me tightly as he lets out a girlish squeal mimicking my own, to which I respond by sticking my tongue out at him, he just smiles. I cannot remember the last time I was with a group of people in District 12 who were this carefree. No-one expression shows any trace of anxieties for future reaping's or lack of food. Everyone is safe tonight, everyone is happy and healthy as they laugh and dance. When the song ends, I'm about to dip low into the normal curtsy when Gale slides forward and cradles me in his arms. I lean back and instinctively grab him, one hand on the back of his neck, the other on his forearms to steady myself just as he leans forward and presses his lips to mine.

His kiss catches me by surprise but I recover quickly as he pulls us back up into a standing position. He tries to pull away by I don't let him, using my hand on his neck to keep him in place. I breathe his warmth in, let it fill me like water and hum a moan of contentment deep in my throat. Gale pulls my hand away from his neck a little more firmly and I pout disgruntled, he smirks and leans forward.

His breath tickles my ear as he whispers in my ear. "Sorry, Catnip but I didn't think you wanted too many people to stare." I feel a trickle of fear as I peek from his unashamed smirk to the other people around. Most of the crowd are either looking at the stage or other people, however every so often I spot a familiar face I've seen from the hob grinning at the pair of us. Gale friend Thom, throws me a small smile and nod from where he stands, Ripper lifts her remaining arm and gives us a thumbs up. Greasy Sae gives us both her bony grin and winks at me.

A red-hot flush creeps up my neck and I bury my head into Gale's chest in embarrassment. I grow painfully aware of the sounds of people I know laughing, the sound of their voices ringing in my ears makes my throat grow tighter. I feel Gales chest shake as he chuckles and I glare at his shirt, angry at how he finds my humiliation so amusing. I lift my glare to meet his eyes as he grins. I pull aware from him, square my shoulders and walk away through the crowd. Gale comes up right behind me and tries to get my attention by calling my name but I ignore him

"Catnip, come on don't be such a sour puss" he says playfully, taking my hand and pulling to stop and face him. "Their not laughing at you because you did something stupid or wrong. It's just… a shock, you know. Seeing you act so girly for a change, with the dress and the dancing and well…," he falters looking a little shyly at the ground and gesturing at the pair of us. "This" he finishes lamely.

I think about Gale's reasoning and try to put myself in other people's shoes. I've bin coming into the hob dressed in my hunting gear and my father's old jacket for years now, never caring about looking attractive or appealing. The only time I dress up like this is for the yearly reapings and only because I have to. The image of me trading in the hob in this dress does strike me as amusing in its absurdity. Gale tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear and brings me out of my thoughts; his smile has vanished to be replaced with a look of worry. I lean up on tiptoes to kiss his frown away, it works but his eyes still hold his anxiety's that I'm still upset.

"Come on, let's go find the kids" I say smiling. Slipping my hand into his, he still looks uneasy but I give his hand a squeeze and pull him along with me.

I spot our families sitting on benches by one of the many small bonfires; I'm surprised to see Prim sitting so close to Rory and even more surprised when she leans forward to him. I think she's about to kiss him but instead I see her lips moving non-stop close to his ear. Rory's eyes go wide as he nods and grins, his eyes shine in the firelight as he listens to whatever she's saying. Their whispered conversation stops immediately as I join them. Gale takes the bottle of water Hazelle's offer him and joins Vick and Posy on the blanket at my feet. He takes a long swig and offers it to me still with an uneasy look. I roll my eyes at him, huff a sigh at him, exasperated. Gale knows I do not forgive people this easily but I accept the proffered water, my eyes plead with him to understand that I'm not angry. He slowly understands and the unease in his eyes flood with relief and he gazes, dreamily in my direction again.

Posy and Vick seeming to decide that now, is the perfect time to strike. They surprise their eldest brother, whose attention is still on me, by jumping on him. Vick throws himself into Gale's side, emitting an eye-watering "ooft! What the-" is as far as he get before Posy lands on his chest, squealing "Sneak attack!" she and Vick then curl their hands into claws and then begin to quickly roll them around Gales body, tickling him non-stop. Gale burst into hysterical laughter, his legs flailing in the firelight, as Posy and Vick continue their tickling assault. Their giggling joins his and I can't help but smile at the sight of Gale overpowered by his brother and sister. I know Gale is allowing this to happen because like me if could never deny his youngest siblings anything, just as I would give Prim anything she wanted.

Posy seems to find particularly sensitive spots on Gale's ribcage and tickles it furiously, he tries his best, in-between more hysterics, to cover the spots with his arms but this leaves his neck exposed for Vick's attack. His body continues to jerk with fits of laughter. I join in with the others, who have all burst out laughing watching Gale's struggle.

"Kat- Katniss!" Gale cry's in-between pained laughs. I catch his tear-filled eyes as he looks at me, pleading for my intervention. I'm laughing too much at the sight of him to speak however, Hazelle comes to her sons rescue telling Vick and Posy "alright you two, that's enough," she says trying to sound stern but fails slightly as she stifles a small giggle.

Everyone's giggles slowly fade away as Vick and Posy reluctantly obey and withdraw their hands from Gale, who is laying flat on his back, groaning heavily and fighting off the last waves of laughter. His feeble groans make me smile and giggle to myself but they slowly fade when I spot Prim eyeing me reproachfully.

"What?" I ask.

"You should have helped him, Katniss." she sounds stern by her eyes are twinkling as Gale crawls over and rest his shaky back against my knees.

"It's… its ok Prim. I'm alright," Gale says with a coughing wheeze. Prim's eyes still don't leave mine and I suddenly feel like a child about get a lecture.

"Well…well what about Rory? Why didn't he go and help him?" I say back shortly my eyes on the back of Gale's neck.

Rory shrugs looking at me. "He didn't call my name," he says simply. I'm about to argue that it doesn't matter anymore, now it's over but Gale has another coughing fit and Rory adds "besides, I'm just his brother, you're his girlfriend."

Gale finishes coughing just as Rory says the last three words. All of a sudden, I notice how very quiet everyone around the bonfire has become. I look up to see six pairs of eyes looking in my direction. My brain seems to have jammed, my tongue has turn to stone in my mouth and my muscles have frozen in place. I not sure I'm ready to have this conversation in front of our families. My eyes fall back down to Gale and I see him grinning shyly at me as he reaches out to takes my hand in his. The feel of his thumb as it rolls over my knuckles, soothes me and brings a blush in front of everyone. I guess Prim did see us kiss while we danced after all and when I look up, I see her beaming at me with a giggle.

"What? When did it happen?" Vick says loudly looking around at us.

"About 10 minutes ago sweetie," Hazelle says unconcerned.

"Humph, took them long enough," he grumbles settling himself next to his mother.

"What was that?" Gale says affronted.

"Oh come off it! You two weren't fooling anyone. You've been dancing around each other for ages now," Rory says scoffing.

"We have?" I ask no one, my eyes looking into the bonfire.

Id never considered what other people might have thought about Gale and me. I knew where we stood and I was happy with that. At least I thought I was happy with the way things were but I guess I was only kidding myself or maybe I just force myself to not think about him that way, when I decided I didn't want to get married or have kids. Looking back down at Gales hand as his thumb continues to runs over my knuckles the warmth returns to my body and my muscles begin to thaw as my other hand wraps around his. He is really the only person I could imagine spending the rest of my life with, he's helped my family survive and I've done that same for his. He's done so much more for me aswell but he's never made me feel like I owe him or feel oblige to hunt or hang around with him. I do those things because I want to. I always look forward to seeing him. I want him near me, i want his warm comforting presence around me, his carefree smirks, even his stubbornness. I want it all and I want to be his because truly, he is mine.

"I guess we have," I whisper meeting Gale's eyes as they shine brightly. I lean forward and press my lips to his in another lingering kiss, my fingertips caressing on his cheek. Warmth floods my body filling me from my toes to the top of my head, I'm dimly aware that Vick is making fake sounds of retching in the background, telling us to get a room. Everyone's laughs again and Gale slowly pulls back, I pout unhappily at the abrupt ending but he just grins at me.

He catches my hand and kisses each of my fingers. I feel the same slow burning within my core as I see him looking up at me with darkened eyes; he pulls his mouth close to my ear. "Want to go for a walk, Catnip?" he asks in a husky voice that makes my breath catch in my throat. The dim aching throb returns and I nod vigorously. He quickly dashes over to our mothers and whispers something in-between their heads. I see Hazelle and my mother exchange a long look before glancing at Gale and then to me. I do my best to smile at them innocently and try not show just how much I want to be alone with Gale right now. Our mothers nod and Gale gives them a hug before he comes back to me. We make it about nine feet away then I hear Hazelle call sternly "Two hours Gale!" he lifts his hand to show he understands and we exit the merchant square via the same way we entered.

"What does she mean 'Two hours?" I ask, he just shakes his head and refuses to meet my eyes. I pull him to a stop and force him to look at my stern expression.

"I er… I agreed to make sure you get back to your house in two hours, since that's where they're going once the kids start to tire out," he says looking shyly at his shoes. My mouth goes very dry instantly.

**AN: Ok must admit this Chapter went though many different versions before i was truly happy with it. Spelling/grammar errors are all my own, so please do PM so i can fix them. Reviews are always most welcome and so are predictions/suggestions. **

**Until next time. **

**Wolfskin.  
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	3. Chapter 3 Two Hours And The Rest

**AN: **Ok readers here's another chapter for you. I wanna say a huge thank you to every single one of you who has left me a very kind review. You guys rock! Also greetings to the new people who have Favorited/Followed this story. Please don't be shy to leave me a review or drop my a PM as I've said I'm still trying to decide where all of this is going, though some lovely people have given me some wonderful suggestion.

**Katbow: **Glad your enjoying it so far. Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions over our long PM conversations. You are awesome! Yeah I was pretty sure everyone in 12 thought they would get together eventually. Glad you enjoyed the tickling scene It was base on an experience I had when I was younger.

**Ellenka: **Thank you, it took me a while to get all the 'Life in 12' parts to where I wanted the.

**Gale Lover: **What will people in the Hob say indeed? I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little longer to find out. Yep just two hours, what's gonna happened? you'll find out below. Hehe.

P.s. when I said I was going to the Premiere I mean I'm going to be standing behind the barriers with all the other fans as the stars walk down the red carpet. I'm not actually gonna get to see the movie till its released, same as everyone else but I'm still hoping I can get a quick photo as they make there way along the fans.

**Ruby: **Hi there, thanks for your review and your suggestions, I may very well used one of them. Ok relax you'll find out how they spend there's two hours right now.

This chapter is abit more Fluff/Romantic with a small amount of Lemon but things will be getting a lot more Lemony very soon! I ask only for patience's. OK that's enough from me for now. ENJOY!

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! All characters belong to Suzanne "Everthorene Killer"** **Collins.**

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><p><span><strong>Two Hours And The Rest<strong>

Two hours. A soft "o" is all I can mange as those words echo around my head, I process what Hazelle is telling us and understanding crawls into my thoughts.

Both our mothers had to quickly get used to Gale and I risking our life's on a daily basis. Just because they understand why we do it, doesn't mean they have to like it but their concerns dim and fade when they remember the alternative is a slow death by starvation for all our families. I saw my mothers worry etched on her lined face a week after she came back to Prim and I but by that time, I was already growing too angry at her weakness, her indifference for us that I ignored her and focused on keeping Prim and myself alive.

It was different for Gale. When Hazelle found out, he had gone into the woods alone, she was so furious that she grounded him for a week. It didn't last long; in fact, it lasted only three days before the cry's for more food from Vick broke him. He sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night, spent hours checking his snares before returning home with three fat rabbits. Hazelle probably would have yelled herself silly at Gale for his disobedience however, when she saw Vick and Rory's thin faces break into tears of delight; her resolve slowly broke and even admitted that Gale had been right to do it.

Even since his father died, Gale became the breadwinner and father figure to his siblings and later even Prim would look to him as a combination of brother and father. It was a lot of responsibility for him to take on in the beginning, considering he was only fourteen but over the years, I've seen he has earned the respect of his mother and siblings. Maybe it's down to the years we've spent support each others families as well as our owns that our mothers are allowing us this time alone or maybe its something else, either way I'm grateful.

"Katniss?" Gale says softly, placing a hand tenderly on my cheek. I look up into his gray eyes and see him begging me to say something. In the moment I can't even begin to say what I'm thinking because I'm not entity sure myself. I'm overcome with gratitude to our mothers and this display of trust and respect they have in us that my eyes begin to burn with unshed tears.

Deep panic rushes into his face and he wraps his hands around one of mine as he begins whispering quickly, sounding like a long hiss but in my befuddled state I can just about make out what he's saying. "Katniss, I'm not going to jump on you or… or anything like that. We can just hug or talk or whatever you want. You know Id never make you do anything you didn't want to." I blush, remembering why I was so keen to be alone with him in the first place. Resting a fingertip on his lips to make him stop talking. He goes quiet but his eyes remain focused on my expression, which must look foreign to him. I smile at him and think that for all of his self assure smirking and the air of unconcerned confidence he projects, he can be just as selfless and caring.

"Katniss, what's going on in your-" he starts, his breath warming my finger

"I know," I say cutting him off mid sentence. "I know you'd never do that. It's just… you"

"What about me?" he asks, squinting at me, trying to solve my cryptic answer.

"You…you just make me happy," I say sweetly, letting my finger drop from his lips. His face turns from confusion to relief then the infectious smirk returns and I can't help but mirror it.

"That's quite a compliment coming from you," he says laying his arms over my shoulders again. I roll my eyes and wrap my arm around his waist as we start walking down the dirt part towards the Seam.

"Well don't let it go to your head" I say sternly but kiss his cheek.

"Sorry Catnip, it's a little too late for that now" he grins, kisses my cheek and adds, "You make me happy too. " I laugh and my stomach does a flip-flop at his use of my nickname.

We continue to walk along the dirt road, passing other people as they walk to and from the square, talking about the others we saw tonight. All the fun and how everyone's carefree attitude. Gale wonders aloud about how long it will take before everyone in the hob knows about our new status as a 'couple.' The simple question brings a funny lurch in the depths of my chest but I recover with a shake of my head. I have a feeling it will confirm many people's suspicions and that we will have an amount of teasing to deal with tomorrow after a full day of hunting.

"Oh!" I say, realizing our missed opportunity to hunt today. Gale looks at me with a raised brow asking his silent question. I lean close to tell him about my revelation. I expect to see his face fall somberly but instead he chuckles and gently gives my shoulder a pat.

"I went after I took Rory for a walk. Just checked over the snare line, they were empty but I wouldn't worry, after all its Sunday tomorrow," he confesses unconcerned. I nod, agreeing with him. Sundays are our longest day spent hunting, arriving at our meeting spot at sun up. Eat breakfast, check and reset the snare line, hunt or gather (depending on our family's current needs) then sometimes fish until the sun begins to drop.

We arrive at the split in the road and stop walking at the same moment. On normal days this is where we part ways, Gale house is a little way ahead of us, were as mine is at the end of the left path. We turn to look at each other, by the dim light from a nearby lamp, I see his face mirror the little awkward grin on mine before I gather my courage and pull him by the waist forward towards his family's house.

Gale opens the door for me and I walk inside. A sudden chill assaults my exposed arms and neck as I step past the rickety dining table. The Hawthorne's house has the same layout as my own; one large area acts as kitchen, dining and living room with several doors leading off to two small bedrooms, washroom and an old storage room that became Gale's room when he could no longer share the tiny bedroom with Vick and Rory.

"Here" Gale says as he close the door. He quickly grabs his hunting jacket and hangs it over my shoulders. He stands behind me, rubbing my shoulders trying to warm me up for a few moments. He leans forwards and plants small kisses to the back of my neck. His hot breath sends tendrils of warmth down my spine. I tilt my head to the side exposing more bare skin for his lips to kiss. My hands rub my arms trying to banish the chill. It's a strange feeling; a while ago, my body was full of warmth as Gale and I danced together in the merchant square but now parts of my skin feel like they've been dipped in a bucket of ice water. Goosebumps appeared over my arms.

"Have a seat, Catnip. I'll… I'll get a fire going," Gale says far too quietly, I sense rather than hear the slight hitch in his voice as he walks over to the stone fireplace. It's only when I take a seat on the threadbare couch and watch as he starts a fire that I notice how silent the house is.

I don't come to Gale's house very often but the first time I did I was taken aback by all the activity. Vick and Rory were tearing around the living room giggling as they played some game. I was surprised when I recognized Hazelle; she was at house barely a month ago when she gave birth to Posy. She greeted me happily when I walked in behind Gale. She was holding a gurgling Posy, wrapped in towels in her arms as she inquired kindly after my mother and Prim. Gale had called over his brothers whose game was immediately forgotten as they dash over to us. I was startled at how they already knew my name but Rory confessed that Gale had told them about me. I decided I liked the Hawthorne's straight away, even more when Rory asked if I would show him how to shoot as Gale had told him how good I was. Just before I left, Hazelle handed me some money she was going to give my mother as payment and a 'thank you' for her help in delivering Posy.

My house on the other hand, seemed to be so quiet, like we were all in a constant state of morning, that is, unless my mother and Prim were dealing with a sick or injured person, in which case my house became nightmarish. Agonizing screams and groans of pain echoed throughout the house. Terrible burns, deep cuts, grown green with infection and splintered bones. They brought memories of injured miners then of my father's death, which upset me so badly that I ran to the other side of the Seam, hid behind an abandoned house and wept hopelessly until I could get a grip.

It was soon after Gale and I met, that our families would come together more often, whether it's to watch the mandatory viewings or if a particular good day of hunting has provided us with more game then usual. All eight of us will come together to fest, enjoying each others company in laughter and rare full stomachs. In the same way Gale and I became friends without acknowledge it, the Hawthorne's and Everdeen's became one big family. Memories of past times spent here, brings a smile and warmth echoes through my body.

A small flame become larger within the stone fireplace and soon the room grows warmer as Gale's shadow lengthens on the hearth. He crouches next to fireplace using a metal poker to coax to flames higher and wider. He leaves the poker nearby, shoots me a comforting smile then comes to join me. The couch sags under our combine weight and without thinking; I rest my head on his chest as his arm wraps around me, holding me close. I inhale the smell of homemade soap wafting from his shirt but underneath it, I detect the familiar smell of pine needles. The smell takes me back to past times spent hunting, gathering and speaking with him.

A memory bubbles to the surface of my thoughts. It was about 6 months ago; I was about twenty feet up a tree, an arrow knocked to my bow waiting for game to cross beneath me. Gale had suggested that I hold up there while he flushed small animals out of their hiding place and herded them towards me. His plan had worked perfectly; soon two rabbits lay dead at the base of my tree. He smiled smugly as I climbed down, unfortunately the branch I had step on broke and I fell the last ten feet before I could grab another handhold. I remember cursing as pain shot up my leg when I hit the ground, Gale dashed over to make sure I was ok. My ankle felt like knifes were slicing straight to the bone as I tried to stand but the pain sent me back onto my backside. On seeing how badly my ankle was beginning to swell, he lifted me up into his arms; the rabbits lay completely forgotten in the dirt and carried me through the woods and back to my mother.

My mother had examined my ankle, came to the conclusion that it was just a bad sprain and that I would be alright after two days if I avoided moving around on it too much. She had thanked Gale for bringing me back as she softly wrapped my ankle in a linen bandage; feeling embarrassed I mumbled my own thanks as he sat next to me on the table.

"No problem Catnip, you know I've got your back," he said smiling and giving me a one-arm hug rubbing the top of my spine. It was the first time either of us said it. Of course I did knew that, knew our friendship was based on more than just trust in each others skills and survival, we kept each other sane, kept each other going, pushing each other to be a better provider for our families and being there for each other for whatever reason we needed. "I know" It was all I could say. The moment felt much more interment then it did while Gale was carrying me home. I was partly glad my mother was still in the room as I wasn't sure what else he was going to say but at the same time, my curiosity was aroused and did want him to keep talking.

Lost in the memory, I slide my hand around him, pulling him closer to me, My eyes drift close, the steady _thump, thump_ of his heartbeat soothes me.

Gale lips brush so lightly against my temple that I don't realise it but when he does it again I hum happily. Nuzzling against his chest, i squeeze him tighter. I hear him chuckle lightly before he leans down again.

"Catnip?" he whispers.

"Mmm?" I hum, too relaxed to say anything else.

"You asleep?" he asks. I roll my eyes behind their lids, he knows full well I'm not asleep but I'm too warm and comfortable right now to call him out on is stupid question.

Instead I nod and whisper, "yes Gale, I am" as sarcastically as I can.

He gives a small laugh before speaking. "Ok, ok Catnip, I know that was a dumb question but we've got to get you to your house in an hour so I was wondering if you wanted to talk or anything but don't sweat it, I'll wake you later," and kisses my forehead.

I mentally smack myself when I look over to the cracked clock over the fireplace and see that he's right, one of our precious hours has gone. Deciding not to waste what little time we have left, I slide my hand under the hem of his gray shirt. Letting my fingertips trace the outline of his hard stomach muscles, his chest rises and falls once as he lets out a long sigh. My bravery coming back I slide my hand further up till I reach one of his nipples, I glide my thumb over it, feeling it harder to a peek under my touch. Gales gasp and after a pause, (during which my thumb completes two full circles around his nipple) he says huskily "thought you wanted to rest."

I lift myself up to look him in right in the face. His eyes have gone wide with undisguised desire and I smirk mischievously at him. My voice seems to have dropped low as I crawl on to his lap, placing my legs on either side of his thighs so I'm straddling him. Our eyes connect and so deeply are we focused on each others gaze, that I ignore his jacket as it falls to the floor with a soft thud.

"I don't want to rest," I say looking down into his stormy gray eyes. I can see I've startled him with how confident I sound. My hands land on his shoulders and slide down over the hard budge of his biceps to his forearms, lifting his limp hands and placing them on my hips. I lean forward and pull his lips to mine.

We take it slowly, gently, drinking in each other as we experiment with what feels good. His hands grip my hips slightly tighter and I wrap my arms around his neck as I lean forwards so there is no space in-between our chests. My confidence grows as the minutes tick by, I'm not sure why but I'm the first to take the lead and coax his mouth to open. He responds, gently giving my bottom lip a nip and suck. I moan happily, the sensation makes my body shiver and tingle so much that my head spins. I momentarily pull back, gasping heavily as I try to catch my breath and stop the room from spinning. My forehead leans forwards and lulls against the point between his collarbone and shoulder.

"You alright Katniss?" he asks breathlessly. In the whirlwind of sensations, I dimly notice that he used my real name and not my nickname. I start to think something is wrong since he only ever does that when he's serious. What happened? Did I do something wrong? Is he upset that I took the initiative and deepen our kiss? No that can't be it.

When I can't take it anymore, I lift my eyes and instead of the glare I was expecting, I see him looking at me with the same anxious eyes.

"Yeah I'm ok," I say sounding very small. His eyes widen when he registers the change in my voice. His hands release their grip on my hips and I slide off his lap to sit next to him my legs lying across his knees. He places one hand on my cheek the heat from his palm warms my face as I lean into it, never breaking eye contact. He looks longing into my face, trying, like me to figure what's just happened.

"Please don't shut me out; I can't stand the thought of you upset because of me or something I did. Please tell me Katniss," he whispers so softy, his voice full of a sorrow that I feel a deep ache in my chest. My eyes drift close as I lay my hand over his on my cheek, drawing it to my mouth and brushing it over my lips. "Katniss?" he prompts.

It's his third used of my name that I find my voice. "You keep called me… 'Katniss." I say somewhat lamely. My eyes opening to see his brow furrow as he struggle to understand what I mean but now I've started, it makes it easier to keep talking. "You hardly ever call me 'Katniss.' it's only when you're about to say something serious that you call me that and I… I'm scared what it might be."

"Oh," he sighs deeply after a terrifyingly long pause, he smiles. The real smile I only see when he's with me, full of understanding, his hand strokes my cheek and pulls my head down so he can kiss my forehead. The simple action calms my anxieties enough so I can fully hold his gaze. "I was being serious when I asked if you were alright." he starts sounding much calmer then he did before, "This is an unknown territory for you and I didn't want to scare you by going too fast. I meant it when I said that I wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want to."

Relief and a powerful sense of affection spreads from deep within me as I lean forward to grab him for a hug but by way we are position on the couch makes me grunt uncomfortably. Gale shifts his body to make it easier for us but since I refuse to let go of him, I end up pulling him on top of me and we fall from the couch to the floorboards. We land with a soft thud, uttering an "ouch!" in unison before looking at each other and burst out laughing at our moment of clumsiness.

Our laughter slowly fades away as we sigh and relax back into our normal sense of companionship, then I notice the small pressure on my butt. It seems that on our little tumble to the floor or maybe it was at some point during our hysterical laughter Gale's hand landed there. He looks from my now blushing face to where his hand is resting, his cheeks go pink in embarrassment and I feel the pressure quickly loosen. I quickly lay my hand on his chest, successfully getting his attention, never breaking eye contact; I take his hand and return it to its previous place.

"Touch me," I breathe, my face coming closer to his. I see his pupils dilate and then widen, his grip on my butt becomes harder as he squeezes me. The pressure makes me squirm as I lean up and run my tongue along the bottom lip of his gaping mouth. He groans heavily when my tongue enters his mouth seeking his, he responds yet again and I moan as our tongue dance in each others mouths. I feel his hand about to slip underneath my dress, to seek the throbbing that makes such a regular appearance now when we are alone but then his hand stills at the hem. Feeling incredibly annoyed with him and all his damn acts of chivalry. I ignore it, clamp his tongue in-between my lips and give it a slow suck, drawing it into my mouth. His taste is so familiar, yet still intoxicating to me that when I feel him begin to pull away I don't let him. In fact, I flip us over, climb on top and hold his hands above his head.

His eyes are wide with shock and I think I might even see a little fear but my determination is now set. I must look so striking to him now, like a completely differently Katniss then he's ever seen before, so full of lust and want as I breathe heavily, silently daring him to try to stop me. He gulps audibly and blinks twice before speaking.

"And there I was thinking id have to go slowly with you Catnip." His voice is thick with emotion. I smirk, happy at the return of my nickname and feel a sliver of pride that I appear to have impressed him. I lean forwards and brush the tip of my tongue against the small hollow by his collarbone. He groans deeply at the contact and I feel it reverberate through my body, all the way down to my bones, to my deepest core. The ache continues to throb, demanding attention and I release one of his hands in order to sate it.

As soon as my grip slackens, Gale's hips arch and by the way we are positioned his arousal brushes against my own. Every single nerve within my core flares, my muscles shake and I gasp loudly, my now free hand lands on the floor next to us and before I can recover his does it again, and again. Every brush against me sends another wonderful pulse to me core, building a tight coil of anticipation and excitement. His hips land back on the floor and I give a huff of disapproval, that's when I feel his fingers run up the front of my underwear.

Closing my eyes, we both moaned in unison as I start to rub myself against his fingers, which have slipped beneath my damp underwear and are now rubbing the bundle of nerves. I lean forward and kiss him with urgency as he his long fingers continue to explore my slick folds. In a completely new tone of voice that I have never heard before, he buries his head against my neck and mutters breathlessly, "Katniss…Oh my god, Katniss!"

Waves of pleasure send tremors through me and legs began to shake as I shudder. My grip on Gales other hand slackens and I roll to the side and lay on my back, his fingers continue to slide up and down me. He props himself on his elbow and nuzzles the side of my neck, kissing the soft flesh and drawing another moan from my throat.

"Gale, I…oh…"

Whatever I was about to say dies as his fingers deftly stroke and flick my nodule of nerves, sending yet more waves of pleasure through me, up my spine and out towards my limbs. My toes curl in my boots at the sensation. His fingers tease my entrance as he rubs the bundle of nerves. I could endure this slow, wonderful torture forever but I'm glad when he pushes a long finger into me, circling my bundle with his thumb. The moment his finger entered me brought a surprised moan from out of nowhere. His lips crash back onto mine as his tongue moved in and out of my mouth, matching the same rhythm of his finger.

I'm painting in excitement at the waves of pleasure rippling out from my core. It's as if that is the only part of me that exists. Though id done similar things to myself when I got home this morning, frustratingly I couldn't push myself to orgasm out of embarrassment that id wake the whole District. Now thought, I feet like I am reduced to a bundle of nerves between my legs. It was causing me to come apart at the seams. Gale must sense that I'm close as he expertly inserts another finger, pumping in and out of me while his thumb continues to stimulate my mounting desire.

My back arches off the floorboards when the pressure from his thumb becomes much, much harder. My hand flies to his forearm and my nails dig into his firm muscles. I can't help but moan and cry out in reaction to the pleasure pulsating through me. His tongue continues to roll around my mouth as the pressure builds higher and higher in my stomach. Gale's fingers thrust into me going harder and much deeper, straight into my very core, worshiping my nerves from within.

All of a sudden, my walls burst apart. My body clenched around Gale's slick fingers as blood rushed to my head making me dizzy and causing my eyes to roll back and shut. He continues to stroke me as he pushed me over the edge causing my hips to jerk involuntarily. In the moment of pure ecstasy my lips break from his as I cried out "Gale!" my breathing is fast and labored. My heart is hammering so hard as if it's about to explode of out my chest, its beating so loud and so quickly. He slowed his movements, as my body seemed to float down from the high arch it was soaring.

My eyes opened, he is grinning down at me looking stratified with himself but his eyes are still black with undisguised lust. I'm speechless, my body is continuing to tingle and pulse wonderfully. Gale's fingers slowly slide out of me and never braking eye contact, he lifts them to his mouth. My head has stopped spinning and my eyes focus on him just as he licks off my wetness, still glistening off his digits. My eyes go wide in shock and amazement when he smirks and moans seductively.

"You should see the look on your face" he chuckles, "you look like as if Buttercup just started speaking like Effie." My voice comes back as I laugh breathless with him.

It fades away as he helps me up into a sitting position. The smirk slowly vanishes from his face, replaced by an uneasy look. He hand lands on my chin and he gently tilts it to meet his eyes.

"You ok, Catnip?" when I don't answer real panic floods his voice. "Oh God, did I hurt you? Was that the first time you…"

I have to stop him, if only to stop myself from blushing.

"Gale that was… that was amazing. I didn't think I could feel anything like that in my life. I just… I can't think of what to say."

A goofy grin spreads across his face, relief seeps into his eyes as he wraps his arms around me. I'm so relaxed and contented to stay like this, wrapped within his strong arms. I could stay like this all night if it wasn't for the fact that we need to get back to…

"Gale, what's the time?" I ask, a trickle of anticipation creeping up my neck.

"Shit!" He exclaims after a second. We snap apart and I look over to see the clock to find we should have been over at my house twenty minutes ago.

My heart leaps into my throat as I quickly stand up. My legs appear to be half-asleep and I nearly fall over, luckily, Gale's strong arms catch me.

"Whoa! Easy there Catnip" he says steadying me. I look up and see his smirk has returned. He leans in a kisses me tenderly, his hands sliding up and down my forearms.

"Don't worry it gets easier with… practice" he says seductively as our lips break apart. I blush embarrassed and find it very hard to meet his eyes. We break apart and he starts frantically brushing dust off from his clothes. I do the same when I notice the build up on the pale blue of my dress. When we are finished and look more or less like our normal selves, he quickly picks up the crumpled form of his jacket, gives it a quick brush and lays it back over my shoulders. He reaches out a hand to me and I take it in mine as we step outside and make our way to my house.

My legs have recovered enough so I can walk and move normally. We're both still grinning to ourselves after our little activates and I still can't really bring myself to meet his eyes so I just settle on looking our joined hands. The memory of what happened still so fresh in my mind; I can't help but admire the skill of his hand. I never thought Gale could bring me such joy, such pleasure, could make me feel so wonderful and that could make me temporally make me forget about everything. The thought makes meeting his eyes easier and when I look up, I see him still grinning at me. I give his hand a small squeeze, which he returns as we turn the corner towards my house.

A huge wave of exhaustion has been slowly coming over me now I see the lights of my house growing brighter as we get closer to it. I yawn, thinking longingly of climbing into bed and curling up with Prim. Gale leans close and whispers, "Did I tire you out Catnip?"

"mm hmm" I hum happily. He just chuckles and out of the corner of my eye, I see him beaming to himself, looking bright-eyed and wide-awake.

"Nearly there, soon we will both be all tuck up, ready for a long days hunting." he says and then leans closer and whispers seductively, "who knows if we finish early we might be able to pick up where we finished tonight." I giggle and give his chest a half-hearted smack.

"What was that for? Your not starting to get sick of me are you?" he asks teasingly.

"Oh I've been sick of you ever since we met" I say mimicking his teasing tone.

"Ouch Catnip" he says looking hurt but spoils it by grinning, "what happened to the complements?"

"I told you not to let it go to you head," I say smugly and we both laugh as we climb up the steps to my front door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Soooooo very sorry I know some of you were hoping they were gonna "do it" but come on two hours wouldn't have been enough time right? Writing this chapter gave me idea's for two One-shots (Gale sneaking out to hunt and the whole story of Gale carrying Katniss home after she fell out of the tree). So naturally the next chapter will be the next day. full of hunting, fluff and *cough, cough, wink, wink* more activities.

Don't forget to leave a review or if you are feeling shy why not drop me a PM or both. Not sure when next update will be but I will try my best to do it before Mockingjay Part 1 comes out (everyone excited?). Spelling/Grammar errors are my own, so let me know and I will fix them soon as i can.

Until next time.

Wolfskin


	4. Chapter 4 Sunday (Part 1)

**AN: **Ok first and foremost a huge thank you and welcome to everyone who has Favorited and is now following this Fic (Swear I'm getting a new one every two days). Words cannot described how grateful I am to everyone who has left me kind reviews and PM. Also i decided to change the name of this story mainly because i just wasn't happy with calling it "Trapped" and anyway "Its ok, It's Just Me" is a phrase that kept cropping up so i decided to make it the title.

Secondly I'm so bloody sorry for making everyone wait for almost a month for this update, but I have had lot of stuff has been going on, writers block, falling sick, Mockingjay Premiere in London (Yes I did get to meet Jen and yes she is as wonderful as you think and even prettier in person *gush, gush* any other questions about it PM me!)

**Gale Lover: **Nope they really couldn't get much done in two hours but it's still earlier in their relationship. Posy and the rest of Gale's siblings… I have plans for no need to worry about that. I managed to get to the second row, got photos and autographs galore!

**Katbow: **Glad you like that little opening, there's a part towards the end of this part I think you'll enjoy. Yep I'm still trying to nail down a balance between gentleman Gale and the rebel Gale we know and love. We find out where the Hawthorne's were in this chapter.

**Best Fan: **Wow! Well thanks very much, welcome to the Galeniss camp, hope I can help you to stick around a little longer.

Ok guys enough talk on with the story. Errors are still my own, anyone out there volunteering to be my Beta is welcome with open arms.

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! All characters belong to Suzanne ****"****Destroyer of Galeniss****"** **Collins.**

**Sunday (Part 1)**

A single ray of morning light breaks through a gap in the heavy gray clouds above illuminating my way. I jog through the morning fog, away from the still silent fence. My eyelids are heavy, the muscles in my thighs still stiff from deep sleep and I stifle a small yawn as I push the low hanging branch obscuring my path, away from me. The ground is a mixture of soft mud and decomposing leaves that rustle and crunch as I make my way to the hollow log. A chilled winds slides in-between the trees, making me wince and my braid flies off my shoulder. I lift my woolen scarf up over my nose until the gust pasts and dies. Though I'm wrapped up as warm as possible, my body is still shivering restlessly. I give my limbs a small shake trying to warm them as best as I can before I continue to make my way to where my weapons hide.

The hollow log is cold and rough. Small scratches appear on the back of my hand as I reach in and pull out a single waterproof sack containing my bow and arrows. I notice the form of the other sack neatly folded, lying underneath a nearby collection of heavy stones, keeping it safe from flying away by anymore-sudden gust. Instantly I know Gale has already come here collected his weapons and is probably waiting for me up at our meeting place. Waiting with that easy smile and open arms, I now want so badly to feel around me. I spot the deep track of fresh boot prints in the mud leading away from the log and I smile. It's almost as if I can hear him seductively speaking to me, _"Hurry up, Catnip". _As quickly as I can, I bunch up the sack, slip it into my bag and start to jog in the direction.

'_Ready or not, here I come' _I think, smiling to the forest.

I almost trip in my eagerness to see him but stop when I emerge into a small break in the tree line to find a large bush. Something about it, looks familiar and looking around I see the undisturbed paw prints and boot prints of two people standing very close in the dirt. I blush freely, remembering the night before last. Was it really only that long ago? Was it really, only 48 hours ago, that Gale and I had met here just too quickly check over the snare line before school?

I briefly wonder if the speed that we are moving at should bother me. Honestly, not once have I felt uncomfortable or uneasy over the past two days. In fact, they've been some of the best I've ever experienced. All right, I've blushed, giggled and been embarrassed more times than I can count but it doesn't bother me. I can be myself around Gale, he make me happy, always has done. His smile brings one from of me, his simple actions sooth any worries I have. Even in this unknown territory we've found ourselves in recently, I've felt perfectly safe with him. In fact more than safe, I've been the one to push us further each time. I smile to myself at how strange and how naturally we have gone from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. The thought of hearing people call me someone's "girlfriend" used to fill me with distaste and disgusted but remembering how Rory call me "Gale's girlfriend" brings an immense sense of pride and joy.

I find it so very odd that two days ago I had no interest or want to feel his hand touch me and sate my desires, where as now I can't wait to feel it again. There's a small sense of guilt when I think this but I'm not sure why though. Gale's hands move with such skill that I blush at the memory of his fingers sliding in and out of me. I know his hands are the only one's I ever want to explore my body and sate the deep ache within my very core. Then it hits me.

Gale has given me such joy and such pleasure. He's sated my newly found desires with such love and devotion. He's never denied me anything; he showed me just how amazing I can feel but what about him. I know the effect I can have on him, I remember feeling it both time's but what had I done to sate his own desires? Nothing. Sudden shame for my selfish actions washes over me. A gut wrenching feeling in my stomach replaces the warmth I felt at seeing him in moments. I'm sure he would like it, maybe he's even expecting me to touch him like he has touched me. I can't deny the idea of touching Gale like that intrigues me but also, largely due to my lack of experience, is intimidating as well.

"Getting idea's?"

His husky voice comes from next to my ear and I let out a small squeak of surprise as his arms wrap around my waist. My heartbeat picks up and my muscles pop as I jerk out of my thoughts. Warm fog flows over the back of my neck and I feel a pair of lips kiss my temple. I close my eyes, lean into the lips and sigh until my previous thoughts leave and my heart rate returns to normal. Shifting my body so I can slip my arms around him, I finally look up to see Gale's smirking grin within the hood of his jacket. I smile back at him, lift myself up and press my lips against his. His lips warm my own and after a long moment, I feel his body heat begin to warm my own.

"Do you think you could show up once in a while without giving me a heart attack?" I say, after our lips part.

"Probably" He chuckles, "But where's the fun in that? Now c'mon, you're freezing, I've already got a fire going."

I give my head a little shake as he pulls me by the hand to our meeting place. I'm not really mad at him, in fact I'm glad he didn't ask his original question again because I'm not sure what my answer would have been. Another freezing gust assaults us as we emerge from between two tree trunks and I see a small bonfire roaring happily and I can already feel the dancing flames starting to banish the remaining chill.

I rub my hands together as we sit on an old blanket Gale has thrown over the large rock, so we can be a little more comfortable. He lowers his hood, unzips his jacket, revealing one of Hazelle's hand knitted sweaters beneath. He rummage's around in his bag and pulls out a few strips of dried venison. Wordlessly he hands me some and I pass him half a roll of dense tesserae bread. The breakfast isn't much but it's as much as we can manage from our families dwindling food supplies. As I eat, my eyes alternate between watching the fire, scanning the foggy valley below and steal sidelong glances at Gale's jaw as he chews. After my third glance, his face turns as his arm rests across my shoulders as he grins at my little look of embarrassment that he's caught me.

"So, what did Prim say after we left last night?" he asks, leaning his forehead against my temple. My cheeks grow hotter that has nothing to do with the campfire.

When we arrived at my house, our families were sitting cosily by the roaring fireplace. Vick, Rory and Prim sat closest playing an old card game. Hazelle sat on the couch, holding a sleeping Posy against her chest while my mother watched the kids as they played. They all looked over as we came inside. I remember the reproachful look Hazelle shot over at Gale, who held up his hands in surrender as he apologize for us turning up half an hour later than we said we would. I was expecting questions about why we were late from our siblings but it appeared that they were too tired to care. I was grateful for their temporally lack of energy but I knew Prim wouldn't let me go to sleep without some sort of explanation.

Gale and his family left shortly after that and during everyone's else mutters of 'thank you's' and 'good nights' Gale tilted my head back and kissed me long and tenderly. My ache for him had stirred as I returned his pressure but I knew were not alone so I had to settle on just the kiss. I pulled his jacket off my shoulders, whispered a soft "goodnight" between kisses and hugged him as tight as I could. He returned the pressure, smiled as he reminded me that it was Sunday tomorrow and we had a full day of hunting ahead of us. Hazelle had practically grabbed his shirt collar to make him let go of me. We just laughed and held each other even more tightly. Prim and Vick giggled and Rory shook his head at our childish behavior. With one last quick kiss, we slid apart and I walked with him to the front door. I watched as he walked down the path with his family, throwing me backwards glances and waves that I returned until I couldn't see him anymore.

I beamed happy and dazed as I wondered back inside. I saw Prim looking towards me with raised eyebrows asking the silent question. I just shook my head, said I was going to bed and moved a little more quickly to the bedroom I shared with Prim. I lit a small candle, slipped off the dress but decided to keep on the leggings and put on one of my fathers old sweaters before sliding under the thin bed sheet. I laid there for a moment shivering; the evenings were getting much colder and I wiggled myself around trying to use the friction of the rough mattress to stir warmth into my bones.

Prim came in later, ready for bed, she threw another sheet over me before sliding underneath herself. She propped herself on one elbow and grinned at me expectantly. My eyes shifted from her soft blue eyes to the ceiling above; suddenly finding the splintering wood far more interesting and thinking absentmindedly, that id ask Gale to help me fix it. However, that was not a smart move as his sexy grin and the thought of his fingers sliding in and out of me filled my thoughts. Heat flooded my cheeks.

"It's no good trying to ignore me Katniss, I know your thinking about him." Prim said smugly.

"No I'm -" I began, shaking my head.

"Katniss!" she said, her eyebrows lifting higher.

I sighed deeply and any thought of lying to my sister died in my throat. I hated having to lie to Prim about why we couldn't do or say certain things in District 12 but I knew it was necessary. I was spared telling her exactly about how the Hunger Games work and how the tributes win by Rory who went pale and gasped, _"they kill each other?" _when he figured it out. They both began to cried and shake in pure terror at the thought of either of them being reaped and taken away. My mother made some camomile tea to help calm their nerves and Gale told them they didn't need to worry, as they would never have as many slips entered into the reaping bowl as himself. It took them a few more days to return to normal but after that their little faces joined in wincing if anyone so much as mentions the games.

However necessary and inevitable it was, it was still a very hard thing to see, my sisters angelic face fall like that. Gale hated to see it as well; I sometime see it in his face when he looks at Posy innocent smile, knowing he will have to explain it to her one day when she is older. For all our wanting to protect our siblings from the true horrors of life in Panem we cannot escape that fact.

In the candle light, I saw Prim's stern but expectant expression still looking at me. The prospect of telling her about how my relationship with Gale has changed didn't make me feel reluctant or fill me with dread. In fact I thought it might be a nice change to talk with her about something making me happy, rather than speaking about difficult subjects, injuries, the pile of things we needed or anything to do with the Capitol. So I gathered my courage, sighed deeply and turned to look at her.

"Ok I was" I said, smiling rather sheepishly. Prim bolted up into a sitting position next to me, her eyes shined brightly and she was almost panting in her excitement to hear.

"So what happened? Where did you go after you left us? What did you do?" she asked breathlessly. I slowly lifted myself up, mirrored how she was sitting and was tugging absentmindedly on a loose thread of my sweater. I knew she wanted details but there was no way I was going tell her everything, so I just settled on telling her how Gale and I walked back to his house, sat and talked by the fire.

"That's it?" she said looking thoroughly unimpressed. I shrugged, nodded and her brow furrowed as she frowned.

"We err… we cuddled a bit before. It was really…sweet you know, kinda cosy," I said trying to give her a little more information. That brought a tiny more interest out of her.

"And kissed?" she inquired. I swallowed audibly and nodded.

"Yeah… a lot" I said slowly, my neck growing hotter.

"What's it like, Katniss?" she asked dreamily after a pause. Her eyes shifted and became glassy as she look at a random point behind me. I was slightly curious about where her thoughts had taken her. I remember seeing her and Rory sitting close to each other as they talked at the festival but hadn't really taken much notice, as I was preoccupied with the rush of feeling as I danced with Gale.

"Prim, did something happen between you and Rory?" I asked.

She blinked twice as she came out of her reverie and her expression became hesitant, looking sheepish at me. After a long pause, she said barely audible "No but… he- he asked if he could walk me home from school one day."

"And what did you say?" I said thankful the attention was off me now.

"I told him, we all walk home anyway and he said he knew that but he was asking if I wanted to go for a walk with him around the Seam after school."

"And?" I smiled politely as I waited to hear her answer. Her cheeks grew pinker by the second.

"And…I- I said…yes." She said speaking to her crossed ankles.

We didn't speak about Gale or Rory anymore after that. We just laid back down, covered ourselves with the bed sheets and spoke about all the food, the dancing and how much fun we both had. After maybe half an hour, I yawned deeply and Prim giggled before she told me to get some sleep. Just as I felt myself begin to drift away into unconsciousness, Prim asked, "Katniss, do you love Gale?"

I made some vague noise in the back of my throat then, I was asleep.

"So, what did she say?" Gale asks again, running a gloved finger over my cheek. The ghost of Prim's last question lingers around my thoughts demanding my attention but with much force as I can muster, I turn to look at him still looking at me with a mischievous grin. I smile back at him and tilt my head to press my lips against his. The grip around my shoulders tightens as he tenderly kisses me back. I can still taste the salty remains of the venison on his lips mixing with the much more primal hunger to feel his touch upon me. I'm not sure how long we stay like this but by the time we break apart my joints feel stiff and I need to stretch.

"She said she's going to let Rory walk her around the Seam after school one day," I say standing up and walking in front of the fire, lifting my arms high. Gale's eyes go a little wider with surprise as he withdraws his arm from around me; clearly, he had no idea about his brother more or less, asking my sister out on a date. He recovers quickly enough and lets out a low chuckle.

"Well that explains why he looked so pleased with himself when we got home. Thought he was just happy to see me getting a stern talking to from ma." he shakes his head and sighs, "I swear you Everdeen's put us Hawthorne's under some sort of spell. Not that I'm complaining." he finishes with a smirk. His strong arms slip around my stomach as he stands closely behind me, the tip of his nose nuzzles the exposed skin of my neck. I hum deeply in my chest at the sensation.

"What did she…mmm…what did Hazelle say?" I ask breathlessly as I reach behind to pull his face closer to my neck. His arms tighten around my stomach as he presses himself against my back. In-between chased kisses around my neck, he explains.

"Well… she said that…even thought she trusts me…and you…and she knows…that I would never…ever…do anything…to hurt you…I should…act like a gentleman…and not like some sort of…hormonally fueled teenager…which its pretty unfair…considering I've just turned eighteen". We both laugh and our bodies begin to sway in unison. "Also that…the next time I…agree to have you home…at whatever time…you're meant to…and turn up late…she will make me…wash everyone's dirty underwear…for a week."

My head is swimming, feeling as if it is full of air. My body feels like it's on fire, drawing the heat from the slowly dying campfire in front and Gale's body, radiating more warmth behind me. The wind blows over me, whipping my braid off my shoulder but I'm so hot right now that I don't feel the biting cold. Every time his lips brush against the soft flesh of my neck makes my hands clench in his hair. When his lips meet my jaw line my body turns and I slam my lips against his, opening my mouth wide, my tongue seeking his. He eagerly response, his hot breath mixing with my own as our tongue dance, battling each others for dominance and neither one of us willing to giving in. His hands drop to my backside and he squeezes me firmly, my hands work frantically to slip quickly underneath his clothing to touch his bare skin. As soon as my fingertips make contact with his stomach, his whole body spasms.

"Cold hands" he says in-between frantic kisses.

"Sorry…I" I mutter.

"Don't be," he says and press his body into my touch. My fingertips slide up and down his stomach white our mouths remain firmly together. His skin is so hot that my hands warm up almost instantly. Underneath my touch, I feel the firmness of his stomach muscles and I lift my hands higher to his chest. He groans, deeply and squeezes my butt again when my hand glides over his harden nipples. My nails dig in and rake across his bare skin. Our groans mix and I can feel that coil of anticipation within my core begin to tighten. Gale shifts his weight from one foot the other and in the movement and I feel his arousal brush against me.

Remembering my earlier guilt about how selfish I've been, I withdraw one hand from his chest and without any intimidation or embarrassment, I press it against his crotch to feel him growing harder. From underneath my eyelashes I see his eyes go wide in shock, his breath catches in his throat as our lips break apart. I begin to move my hand up and down him, stroking him slowly yet firmly so he can feel the pressure of my touch under his clothes. His forehead lulls forward, his cheek brushes against my own as his forehead lands on my shoulder. I tilt my head so my lips can brush against his neck. I trail kisses from under his jaw line to his collarbone, the same way his kissed me and I'm rewarded with a heavy groan. His hot breath, rushes over my neck and I continue to rub feeling him grow harder and twitching slightly under my hand.

"Kat- oh god, Katniss, what are… what are you doing to me?" he moans into my skin. I can practically hear the smile in his voice. Remembering how his kisses to my neck set my body on fire I try to mimic it all the while my hand moving up and down him rhythmically.

"What…don't you…like this?" He groans and I feel his body shiver, so I continue. "You did this…to me…now it's… (I gulp) it's my turn," it's as far as I get before Gale's hand grips over both of mine tightly and stops me mid stroke. His body seems to go from scorching hot to ice-cold in a heartbeat as he slowly straightens up and takes a careful step back releasing my hand, which drops and hangs at my side. An icy gust that blows over us, stings my eyes, which now are open wide in panic and confusion. Looking at him, I see his gray eyes looking at me with an expression that looks half sorrowful, half annoyed.

My eyes drop to the ground and in my head I backtrack and try to figure out just want has happened. I'm sure I did something wrong but what could it have been. Did I not stroke him hard enough? Was it something else? Maybe he didn't like me kissing his neck like that, I just don't know. I find myself shivering again; the warmth within me seems to have vanished in the newest gust of wind. Even the campfire has died away, reduced to glowing embers and my eyes sting as tears of shame form. I wipe them away with my sleeve but soon they come faster than I can brush them away.

"Katniss…" he begins, he voice is calm but he still has that strange look on his face.

"I'm sorry!" I blurt out. His jaw just drops and he blinks, looking just as confused as I felt a second ago. I curse my inability to filter my words.

"What the hell are you saying sorry for?" he asks puzzled. It take me a long while to figure out just why I'm feeling so ashamed, so I take a deep breath and start talking to his knees.

"I did something wrong didn't I? I went too fast or- or too slow and I ruined what should have been a wonderful moment. Gale, you-you shouldn't be with me. I don't deserve to be anyone's girlfriend or wife or anything. I'm just too selfish. You've done so much for me and I can't even do anything to show you how much I care for you." I ramble on and on as the tears fall, my legs shake partly because of the cold but mostly because I know, deep down that it's all true.

My eyes shut as I begin to sob at the truth; the realization makes my heart shake, feeling like it's about to shattered and drop into the pit of my stomach. My arms wrap around my chest, as if I can stop myself from braking apart in front of him. Gale's strong arms quickly enclose me and I try to push him away, so I can run off but he refuses to release me.

"No Gale, let me go. Please I- I can't, I'm not good enough, I don't deserve-"

"Katniss, Katniss, shh, shh, come on, I don't believe that for a second, that's not true. Its not-"

"But it is, Gale, I'm-"

"No it's not!" he snaps and firmly lifts my chin so my eyes meet his. "Listen to me, that's not true, Katniss. You didn't do anything wrong… I did."

His declaration makes it easier to look at him. I can see he believes his statement deep in his eyes, however this brings more questions than it answers. "Listen to me, Katniss. I can see what my mom was talking about now." I shake my head in an attempt to clear away my confusion but my brain seems to have jammed to a halt. Gale gently leads me back to the rock, keeping his arms around me. After a long sigh, he begins to explain.

"When we saw the wolf that night, I was convinced that it was all over for us and if I was about to die I wasn't going to die without letting you know how much I care about you. You know, I'm no good with words so I decided to show you instead. I didn't intend to go as far as we did that night but I guess I just got carried away. Since then I've been holding myself back, remember when I said I wouldn't make you do anything you didn't want to. Well you see I've made you feel like you've got to…" His forehead furrows as he tries to find the right word, "return the favour?" he shrugs. "That's not what I wanted at all. Don't go thinking for a second that's what I'm expecting, Katniss. So when you said it was your turn, I was angry with myself because I didn't want make you to feel like you had to do anything. If I could have controlled myself and been more of a gentlemen like my mom said, then I could have slowed down and explained all of this to you." His eyes drift close and he gives another huge sigh.

He opens them a second later and I'm relieved to see the old familiar Gale smiling at me. "So you see Catnip, you didn't do anything wrong, in fact just the opposite, you've done everything right, maybe a little quicker then I thought you would but right none the less." My tears have stopped trailing as I listen to him and feeling relived, I let out a very small choked laugh as I return his smile.

"I guess I should feel guilty for going so quickly or for not telling to stop, but the thing is I'm not," I smirk after wiping my sleeve over my eyes.

"Me neither" he chuckles leaning down and kisses me tenderly. I sigh gratefully when his lips linger on my lips and I hold him tight feeling immensely relieved. All this time I thought my lack of experience would hold us back but in fact, it's my eagerness to experience these new sensations with Gale, mixed with his own knowledge and desires to show me. A powerful pull to never let this kiss end takes me and I pull his neck closer to deepen the kiss. His hot breath warms me once more but now with all the new knowledge we are both much more careful with where our hands go.

I feel something hot on the side of my face and reluctantly I break the kiss to see ray of fresh morning sunlight shining through a small gap in the clouds. Gale follows my gaze and squints against the light before it disappears. Judging from the suns position I guess it must be around mid morning and standing up again I pick up my bow, jerk my head in the direction the dense forest behind us. He beams broadly, grabs his bag, bow and arrows. "Alright Catnip, lets hunt!" he proclaims happily and follows me I jog into the woods.

The further we travel into the woods, the more we return to our old hunting routine. We first check over the snare line and come up with six rabbits and a nice Beaver close to a nearby stream. We set up a net further down and lay a long line of fishing wire to catch any smaller fish that may slip past the net. It's still too late in the year for greens so we track game for a few hours. I almost spoil a perfect opportunity to take out two squirrels as we crouch in the underbrush. Gale body molds against my back as he crouches behind me, I can feel every inch of him rubbing against me. The temptation to reach out and start stroking him again makes me grin mischievously. His face leans closer but neither of us breaks eye contact from the squirrels. He points to the one on the left, meaning that he will shoot that one and I can take the other. After a gently pat to my shoulder, I feel him draw back on his bowstring waiting calmly for me to shoot first. It's take me a few more moments than usual to take careful aim, feeling his body so warm against my own but I manage it and soon both squirrels lay death on the ground. I smile as we step forward to retrieve our prize and I notice Gale's closer squirrel first.

"You've been practicing" I point out impressed, noticing his arrow protruding from the animal's eye.

"Careful Catnip, that almost sounded like another compliment" he smirks with a raise brow.

"No, not quite, just an observation" I tease picking up my kill.

"Oh ok, well in that case I've 'observe' your getting a little better with your snares" he says matching my teasing tone as he strolls pass and gives my shoulder a small nudge. I roll my eyes and follow.

The rest of the afternoon is spent tracking, bagging more game, once we check the net, and fishing wire; our bags are full to bursting. We make our way back to our meeting place and decide to share half a squirrel each to tide us over until we can get home. Our little fire have burned itself out and Gale busy himself getting a new one lit and I hand him the carcass when the fire is ready. We both run over the list of things our families need and wonder dimly if certain traders in the Hob would have what we need.

The sky is beginning to grow darker when we finally see the fence come into sight. We scan the area and slip under once we are sure it's deserted. Gale's hand slips into mine as we make our way to the Hob, I smile to myself and give his hand a small squeeze at the contact and match his carefree smirk with one of my own. This is something I never saw myself doing before but I cannot deny just how natural it feels when it's linked with his.

When we enter the merchant square, now free of lights, bonfires and the dance floor, the first person I see is the baker and his wife exiting their shop and strolling away. Gale and I exchange a disappointed look, we were counting on trading with the man for some good bread but now that plan seems like it will be a little trickier. I suggest trading with one of his sons but Gale's shakes his head, uncertain if they would trade with us. We eventually decide to save two squirrels for the Baker and try again later, when hopefully the mans wife will have retired for the night.

Gale holds open the large door for me to walk through as we reach the Hob and I enter to happy to hear the familiar sounds of muttering as people talk and trade around us. Then it happens, first one person begins to clap then another and another and soon everyone in the warehouse is turned in our direction, echoing applauds mixing with cheers. Gale comes to my rescue and I bury my head into his chest to hide the embarrassing shade of red I'm sure is covering my face. I can feel his chest shaking and over all the noise, I can hear him chuckling deeply. I can't help but join him as I lift my face from his chest and smile sheepishly which gets a loud booming laugh from the crowd as their applauds slowly fades.

"Alright, Alright! That's enough! Everyone get back to whatever you were doing" Greasy Sae yells loudly from her stall. Everyone assembled slowly returns to their trading but the occasional smile or thumbs up is still thrown our way.

"Well, that could have been worse" Gale grins, rubbing my back comfortingly and I nod, shooting Sae a grateful look as I pull him into the crowd. We make our way around the Hob, going about our separate business and soon we've both finish our trading, nailing almost everything we needed and getting some extra money as well.

Finally we stroll up to Greasy Sae, sit ourselves on old wooden stools and get two bowls of her latest stew. When she slides the bowls to us, we offers her the money but she just shakes her head at our outstretched hand. We both frown at her and she crosses her arms over her chest and grins at our look of confusion.

"First ones are on the house today," she says kindly. The loaded spoon I was about to lift to my mouth, slowly falls back into the bowl and I look at her suspiciously. No one in the hob ever gives anything away for free no matter how friendly or what there trade is and Greasy Sea is no different.

"Alright Sae, what's the catch? This stew some new special concoction of yours?" Gale asks eying his own bowl. "What's in it? Tree bark?" he asks sniffing.

Sae snorts at him, looking affronted. "You never complained about my winter special before Hawthorne. Anyway that's real lamb and carrots in there!"

I take my spoon and stir it around, the thick broth smells pleasing enough. Tentatively, I lift a tiny mouthful to my mouth, chew thoughtfully and discover the meat is indeed lamb. I take a much bigger spoon full and force myself to chew slowly, savoring the taste of the tender meat. I close my eyes and moan as I detected a faint hint of rosemary within the broth. Gale has started eating as well and I can tell he is, (like me) trying to control a frantic urge not to wolf it down. It doesn't quite work and we finish our bowls within the next five minutes, still feeling hungry I look from Gale's empty bowl, to his face and see him eying Sae's green kettle that contains more of the stew.

"More?" she says looking smugly at Gale as he continues to gaze longing at the kettle. "I did warn you only the first ones were free" She chuckles. Gale looks at me and I nod slow and deliberately. He smiles, withdraws his early coins and slams them on the counter. She slips the coins into her pocket and busies herself before returning. However, instead of two small bowls with spoons, Sae slides one large bowl in between us and drops two new spoons inside.

"You two don't mind sharing now, right?" she says rather smugly. Gale looks a me and I can see his lips twitch as he tries to hold back the smirk. We turn back to Sae.

"Right" we say in unison and all three of us laugh. Gale loads his spoon and offers it to me with his hand underneath to catch any droplets of broth. "After you Catnip" he says, now smirking freely. I smile at his adorable gesture; my mouth opens widely as I gladly accept his spoon.

"So what's with the fancy butcher meat, Sae?" I ask thickly through a mouthful of stew, genuinely carious.

"Came into a small windfall during the festival last night, so I decided to get something a little special from Rooba this morning" she says shrugging.

"Couldn't have been that small of a windfall for this," Gale says blowing on his spoon. "How did you get the money? Challenge a bunch of Peacekeepers to a game of poker and clean them out?"

"I'll have you know I won a Hob bet," she says smugly.

"Which one?" I ask but not really caring. The Hob tends to have a few bets going on; the main one is what Haymitch Abernathy, District twelve's only surviving Victor of the Hunger Games, will do in his next drunken haze. No one really knows or likes him except Ripper and only because he pays her a lot of money for the alcohol he guzzles everyday. Gale won the bet once; he guessed that Haymitch would go nuts the next time Ripper was out of booze. Sure enough, the old Victor had almost torn the whole Hob apart in his struggle to fight off the effects of his alcohol withdraw. I've never bothered to enter a bet in, as I can't stand the thought of gambling away the money I earn from hunting but I do try to keep track more out of entertainment then anything else.

"Oh just the one about when you two would quit dancing around each other and get together" she says sounding completely unconcerned. I gag on my mouthful of stew, Gales spoon drops from his hand and lands back into bowl with a wet 'slap!' I cough violently, trying to dislodge the piece of food stuck in my throat. I manage to swallow it, assure Gale I'm all right and see him go back to glare at Sae. She just stands there looking calm and un-phased by his burning eyes. I cough one more time and offer Sae a glare of my own. Its one thing for our families to gossip about whether or not Gale and I would end up as a couple but it's quite another thing for our personal life to be bet on by the whole Hob.

"I told you to drop that bet, Sae," Gale growls at her bony face.

"It was, but I restarted it a month ago, just had an inkling…" her voice trails off as my head snaps to Gales in angry realisation.

"You knew!" I hiss at him. His head slowly terns to look at me, his face now a mixture of embarrassment, anger and shame. He gives Sae one last look of contempt before sliding off his stood and marching out of a nearby side door. The thunderous slam it makes echos around the Hob and every eye with looks from the door then to me. I can almost feel every one of them looking at me questioningly. I'm torn between anger that he knew and never told me about this bet; and a deep pull to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless.

"See Sae, told you it wouldn't last" sniggers a female voice from nearby.

"Shut up, Collins!" Sae snaps back angrily. She turns back to me, takes my hand and in a much more gentle tone says, "Don't be too hard on him. He really did try to stop everyone from betting." Her old seam eyes remind me so much of my father and I try to think what he would say to me in this situation. _"trust your instincts" _Yes, that's the sort of thing he would say.

So that's what I do. Gale didn't lie to me. True but he didn't go out of his way to tell me either. Why thought? Was he just trying to spare me the embarrassment of knowing that our friendship had become a form of entertainment to everyone else? Was it something else? I can still feel the deep pull towards him but it's less of a lustful desire and more of a deep ache in my chest. The feeling only gets more painful when I remember how hurt and guilty he looked. I need to find him; I don't want him to do something reckless in his guilt. My mind made up, I pat Greasy Sae's bony hand and take off out the door Gale had disappeared through.

**AN: **Sorry to leave it there but I couldn't resist, (I know, I know I'm terrible) but I can confirm that the second part will be up Christmas Eve as my little present to everyone who has stuck with me thus far.

Until next time

Wolfskin

P.S. Everyone seen Mockingjay Part 1 yet? I thought it was really good, District 12 ruins and The Hijacked Peeta was soooooo well done. Has everyone else bough "The Hanging Tree" i know i have :)


	5. Chapter 5 Sunday (Part 2)

**AN: **Merry Christmas Eve one and all, hope everyone's looking forward to tomorrow, know I am. The food, the booze, the family and finally getting my new XBOX teehee! (yes, yes I know I'm still a child)

**Katbow: **As always thanks for the kind review and the lengthy conversations. Glad you enjoyed my short Katniss/Prim gossiping about boys part and that your still enjoying the more gentlemanly side Gale as we have a little more of that in this part.

**Ellenka: **I am sorry about the bet subplot, I know its not everyone cup of tea but I couldn't resist and it did seem just so right and the whole situation will be resolved in this part. Glad your enjoying the slow burn and such. Merry Christmas.

**Gale Lover: **Yeah you know how stubborn and quick their tempers are so yeah Gale's got some explaining to do. Glad you think Rory and Prim are cute, got some plans for them aswell. Sorry about having to make you wait but its here now so merry Christmas.

Ok that's enough from me on with the story! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! All characters belong to Suzanne (you know what, i bet originally she was going to have Katniss end up with Gale but due to pressure from her publisher and marketing she was forced to have Katniss just settle with Peeta) Collins.**

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><p><strong>Sunday (Part 2)<strong>

My boots hit the ground at the same moment as a gust of cool evening air assaults my body. I wince slightly as it sweeps over my face but recover and quickly look around trying to spot the hunch figure of someone walking in the direction of the Seam. I see no one and I remember how guilty he looked before leaving, a searing pain in my heart brings a tear to my eyes and I run frantically to the merchant square praying that he had decide to take the long way home. I had thought where Gale would most likely go. The woods would have been the first place but I remembered his loaded game bag full of supplies for his family. He wouldn't just go and leave his family to root around cupboards when he had fresh meat to bring home.

I shove a group of miners out of my way when they obscure my path, ignoring their curses and raised fists as I continue to run. When I reach the main square, my eyes frantically begin to dart from face to face, as I seek the only person I want to see. When I realise he not milling around I start to check different storefronts and side ally. My lungs are on fire with the effort and when I fail to find him, the ache in my chest turns to sharp stabs as fresh waves of hopelessness overcome me. I lean against an abandoned store front, trying my best to not let fresh tears fall even though my heart feels like it about to shatter and just shake my head refusing to feel anything.

The boots slide to a stop, spreading gravel and dirt in right in front of me. I'm expecting them to belong to a Peacekeeper come to shoo me away but dismisses this when I see they are black and not white. Covered in scratches and dirt not freshly polished. I also know they don't belong to the only person I want to find.

"There you are, Katniss!" the owner of the boots says sounding breathlessly. My eyes drift up and I blink seeing Gale's friend, Thom attempt to speak through laboured breathing.

"I- I caught him run- running to the fence. He was- he was pretty upset and I told him- I told him to get a grip and tell me what had happened." I bolt up and plead with him to just tell me where Gale is. "Your house" Thom gasps hunched, "said he would wait for you there."

I quickly thank him and jog as fast as I can to the Seam, being careful not to trip or knock anyone else over as I run. The sky is covered in thick dark clouds that threaten rain when I reach the fork in the road, make a left and sprint all the way to my house at the end. I see a figure-sitting hunch on the bottom step of my porch and as I get closer, the figure notices, stands and begins to walk towards me, his arms held up as if in surrender.

"Katniss, I'm sor- ooft!" his apology trails off as I fling my arms around his chest. The force with which I crash into him with sends us falling backwards and landing into the dirt. I ignore his groan of pain and squeeze him a tightly. Fresh tears are falling freely from my eyes now as I sob happy and relived that I've found him, that he's ok and that he didn't do anything reckless. My lips find his as I kiss him frantically, he groans and in-between my kisses he murmurs "Katniss, not that I'm not enjoying this but do you mind if we stand? Something's digging into my back." I help him up but quickly wrap my arms around his chest, terrified that he will run off again if I release him. If I'm holding him too tightly he doesn't mention it, he just returns my hug with equal pressure.

"Katniss I-" he starts again.

"Shhhh" I whisper not wanting to hear it right at this moment. I know he will answer my earlier question eventually but right now, all I want is to be his and to feel his body warm my own. I grab his hand and pull him up the porch and into my house.

"Prim? Mom?" I call out but no one answers. Looking around the kitchen, I spot an upside down glass bowl covering a single plate with two slices of bakery bread compete with a lump of goat's cheese along with some dried apple. On top of the bowl is a folded piece of paper. I smooth it out and read the hastily written note.

_Katniss,_

_Mrs Hammond has just gone into labour, mom and I are going to help. I__'__m not sure when we will be home but I think we will spend the night there just in case something goes wrong. Ill walk with Lucy to school and meet you at the gates. _

_Hope you had a fun day with Gale._

_Love Prim._

_P.S. can you find and bring my notebook, I can__'__t remember where I left it._

"Rory's got it," Gale says behind me, clearly having read the note over my shoulder. "Said he needed to borrow her notes for some test, ill quickly go fetch it."

I grab his wrist as he turns to go, my eyes meet his as I convey my worries that I cannot seem to voice aloud. His eyes fall to my hand and he looks at me much more tenderly, with a reassuring smile he gently takes my free hand with his and kisses my knuckles. "I'm coming back, Catnip, I promise" he softly whispers. Reluctantly I release my grip and watch him quickly dash out of the door.

I remove my jacket, scarf and sweater and busy myself with making the room warmer by lighting a fire. I force myself to take slow, calming breaths as I lay two fresh logs within the stone fireplace. Lighting small pieces of kindling within and the tiny flame licks around the log before it catches and begins to build. I rest another log on top of the first two ensuring that it will keep burning for a few hours to follow. My eyes watch as the small flames build higher and begin to dance within. The room grows steadily warmer and I move to the little room off the kitchen to wash up.

The cool water makes me shiver but I ignore it as I scrub the dirt and grime from my face, hands and un-braid my hair letting it fall loose down my back. Taking a brush, I dip it in the clean water and run in through my dark hair, working out any knots I find. Going through my usual post hunting ritual helps to clam the few worries still plaguing my thoughts. I know Prim and my mother are ok. Mrs Hammond and her husband are one of the few families in the Seam who can be counted on to pay and not owe, as her husband is a supervisor of the mine carts that ship coal to the train. Supervisors are generally well paid for their work and have the added bonus of not having to take the stomach churning elevator ride down into the mines.

When my hair is clean enough, I glance at my reflection in the small cracked mirror and see that my cheeks and are still red and puffy. I grab the cloth and wash it away as best as I can before tying my hair in a loose ponytail, deciding against my braid since I don't plan on venturing outside again tonight.

I walk back and take a seat at the tiny table to eat my small supper. I force myself to concentrate on chewing and not to keep glancing in the direction of the front door. It doesn't work though; every tiny sound makes my eyes snap to the door handle, willing it to move and for Gale to enter. Every mistaken glance makes my heart ache before I reassure myself that he promised he was coming back and he's never broken a promise to me. Just as I'm about to take another bite of bread, the door handle rattles and he enters in holding a bowl in one hand and uses his other to close the door behind him. He smiles warmly as he comes to me at the table.

"Mom made some extra soup for us when I told her Prim and your mom went to help Mrs Hammond and they didn't have time to make a real supper," he says laying the bowl between us before removing his own jacket and sweater. He pulls out a Prim's notebook and lays it nearby, "had to wrestle it away from Rory said he hadn't finished his homework yet. Little liar, he forgot I was helping him while he was doing it" he chuckles sitting next to me. I know he is trying to keep the conversation light and not bring up his explanation about the Hob bet he knew about but didn't tell me.

"Maybe he was going to write a message for Prim," I shrug smiling.

"Wouldn't put it past him," he says cocking an eyebrow at the book. "Maybe we should check, don't want Prim to get a nasty shock do we Catnip?" he says looking back at me, a tiny glint of mischief in his shining gray eyes. The use of my nickname makes it easier to match his smile but just shake my head as I hand him the second piece of bread.

I dunk the bread into the soup before taking a bite, the smooth goats cheese mixes with the tangy onion soup and my throat eases as I swallow. Gale eats the same way as I do and once our bread is gone, I bring two spoons over. I do my best to not think back to how we ate like this in the Hob but struggle. The fire continues to crackle in the background and I take a tentative look at Gale, who is glancing into the bottom of the bowl, as if he is seriously thinking about drowning himself in the dwindling soup.

I know he's struggling to figure about how best to begin his explanation. Using words that have never been his friends. I dimly think maybe he's trying to think of a way that he can show me why he didn't tell me about the knowledge but can't seem to find one. The sight of him staring into the bowl looking like a lost child makes my heart clench painfully. So hoping my actions will help him relax as it did at the festival, I grab his forearm, trying to recreate the same circle pattern I made in the crook of his elbow when he was growing angry at how much better off the merchant families are. His eyes drift shut as soon as my hand makes contact but I don't stop circling my fingertips until they open again. It takes longer then it did before, probably because his anger before was directed at people he knew didn't deserve it but this time he knows the blame lies with himself. I don't even entertain the thought of stopping because I know my actions can help calm his fire and we can move past this. I'm sure I will forgive him but can he forgive himself?

"Four months ago," he sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly. His eyes remain firmly shut. Glad he has started, I pull his hand in between both my own, rubbing it as I silently urge him to keep going for both of our sakes. "I was eating at Sae's when the Goat man asked if we were together yet. I just ignored him, you know how people like to gossip but he wouldn't leave me alone. He told me he had ten coins riding on us hooking up within the week." He sighs again, finally his eyes open and looks at our intertwined hand. "Sae told me about the bet; I think she could see I was close to punching the guy. Once I made her promise to drop the bet, I told her, the Goat man and about twenty others that were betting on us that there was nothing going on between us and that they were going to stop gossiping like a bunch of old hags." His head leans back as he slumps against the backrest with glassy eyes. "Thought that was the end of it, guess I was wrong."

"Ok well that explains how you knew but why didn't you tell me?" I try to say it kindly without any harshness but there's a tiny amount of disappointment in my tone I can't keep it away. His brows furrow as if I've yelled at him, his eyes shut once again.

"Because I didn't want to upset you or make you think that everyone was talking behind your back and…" he trails off looking up into space. I give him a moment to finish, waiting as patiently as I can but I cannot deny wanting to know all the reasons. "And because… well, it hurt you know. I mean to say it over and over again. I didn't want to admit to myself but after telling the last person 'Katniss and I are just friends and that's all we will ever be! The bets off!' I knew it was true and I hated admitting It." he finally lets his head fall forwards and I'm greeted by a sight I never thought I would ever see. Gale. With tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you Katniss, you know I love-"

I don't let him finish. I push my chair back, take his face in my hands and crush my lips against his. After a few moments, I coax his mouth open and will my lips to tell him the words that have gotten stuck in my throat, that I forgive him, that I understand why he didn't tell me, that I don't want him to leave tonight. I want him to stay with me. His arms wrap gently around my waist as I slide and sit on his lap. When the kiss comes to a slow natural end, I rest my forehead against his, one hand on the back of his neck the other trailing lines on the front of his shirt.

Our eyes meet and we both look longingly into each others. I feel like I'm looking right into Gale's very soul. I see the eldest child accepting a medal for his father's bravery. The young boy who had to grow up quickly to become the provide for the rest of his family. The hunter to taught me how to snare a belt of fat rabbits and whom I taught how to shoot a bow. The teenager who would saunter confidently around the school. The rebel who rants and rages against the Capitol. My best friend I completely trust with all my secrets, all my fears and the one who would listen to anything and everything id say. Finally, I see the man, who I have let into my heart. Who hates to do or say anything to upset me, wants to keep me safe, make me happy, can set everything about me on fire with a passion I didn't know was even possible, and god help me, I want all that for him as well. I'm not sure I know how I can tell him though. No, that's a lie I do know how but the thought terrifies me more then anything else. It makes me want to flee into the woods and disappear forever but the idea of leaving him and Prim behind is unthinkable. _He__'__s mine, _its what I figured out at the harvest festival and looking deep into his perfect gray eyes, I can admit that I am his.

"I love you too," it comes out in a breathless whisper.

His eyes go wide as he slowly lifts his head to stare into back at me. The stunned look spreading over his face would be funny if I was joking but we know from my tone that I've never been so serious in my life. I don't know who started crying first but soon tears are falling from both our eyes. In the firelight I see he is still staring at me wide eyed, his mouth slightly open as his befuddled mind processes my last four words. Slowly, like the realised how sure I am of my statement sinks in and a new smile I have never seen before creeps across his face. His soft full lips lift and break, exposing even white teeth, his eyes shine brightly as tears of joy leek from the corners. It is a smile of such infectious joy that I feel my own lips lift and slip apart. I brush away the happy tears with my sleeve as his arms wrap around me and he pulls me to him, holding me tightly. I feel like my heart has grown so full of love for another person that I didn't think I was ever capable of except for Prim.

The huge rush of activities and emotions from today is finally starting to catch up on me and I feel a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders. After the third heavy sigh rushes out of his nose, I judge that Gale must feel the same way so dipping my head so my lips are next to his ear I whisper, "It's getting pretty late," letting my teeth nibble tenderly to his earlobe. His grip tightens around my waist as I feel him shift beneath me; clearly, my declaration of love for him hasn't changed the effect I still have on him. I purposely shift my behind against his crotch; earning a muffled gasp from his throat as I put him under the 'Everdeen spell' he jokingly accused me of doing this morning. I stand, walk over to my bedroom and lean in the doorway. I lift my index finger and slowly curl it at him, gesturing for him to follow and adding a mischievously grin just for good measures.

He crosses the distance in a few long strides, taking my head in his hand for another long kiss. I pull him into my candlelit room, slam the door shut with my foot and slip my hands under his shirt to caress the skin of his lower back. I pull him towards me as I lean against the doorframe. The cool night air seems to have vanished within the room or maybe it's just because of the closeness of our bodies. My fingertips rake along his skin above his waistband and he groans against my mouth. Ceasing on the opportunity, I slide my tongue around his full lips before giving his bottom lip and gentle bite. The sound of him moaning in pleasure reverberates through me and my hands travel further up his back taking his shirt with them until it gathers at the top of his spine. He halts our kiss, quickly steps back and whips the bundled up shirt over his head discarding it onto the floor.

I gaze wide-eyed and open mouthed at the sight of him. Though I've seen him without a shirt on before, I feel like it's a very different Gale Hawthorne standing in front of me. His chest rising and falling in slightly laboured breathing mesmerized me. He's skinny as all people in the Seam are but all the time and physical effort he has put in hunting, along with a steady diet of fresh game and greens has rewarded him with a physique almost similar to a career tribute from District one, two or four.

I'm suddenly far more nervous then I was a few seconds ago. His strong arms, hanging loosely at his sides, covered in small scars, obtained in the woods look like battle scars. He suddenly looks like a dangerous predator with the way his hands twitch as if he's eager to grab hold of me. However, the slight trickle of fear vanishes in a heartbeat when I gaze up to his face. His features still hold all the love and devotion I saw when I sat in his lap at the table and I shake my head reminding myself of all the things I saw and still do see when I look into his eyes.

I close the gap, lean forward and press my lips against his skin right at the point I guess his heart is. My hands come up to run them over the ridges of his chest and slide over his nipples, which have already begun to harden and stand at full attention. Following my instincts, I move my mouth over one of them letting my teeth brush over the small bump before my tongue slips out and I run the tip around and around his nipple. Any embarrassment at my lack of experience has gone when I feel his whole body quiver. When I look up I see his eyes have drift close, a wide grin plastered on his face and his hand comes up to hold onto my shoulder. My other hand continues to roll over his other nipple and I begin to make a trail of slow kisses down his torso.

He stops me when I reach the area just above his waistband. A finger under my chin tilts my head back to see him gazing down at me with eyes black as the sky outside. I straighten up, kiss him with furious urgency and push him firmly back until the back of his knees hit the rough mattress of my bed. Breaking the kiss only to remove our boots, he lowers himself down onto the edge of my bed and I climb on top of him, placing my knees on either side of his hips so I am effetely straddling him. His hands snakes under my shirt, slipping around my lower back and pulls me towards him so what little space between our bodies is gone.

There's a small ache in my neck from how I'm position so I halt the kiss to arch my head back and stretch it. Gale's head lulls forward, landing in-between my breasts. I can hear him breathing heavily as if he's sprinted around the District; I smile, stroking the back of his neck as I give him a few moments to catch his breath. His hands stoke the skin below my shoulder blades before trailing up my spine, brushing over the clasp of my bra before moving further up revealing my stomach. Getting his message, I release my hold on his neck, remove my shirt and, and as an afterthought slip off my bra as well.

Gale's eyes widen as he stares up at me with such raw desire. His hands move around my stomach caressing the soft flesh. I smile at his mesmerized gaze and lift his hand to my mouth, kiss each of his fingers and lay his hand on my bare breast. His fingertips brushing over my nipples as he places tender kisses in between my breasts. A rush of air slips from between my teeth when he gives my nipple a small pinch, my eyes close as I arch my back, pushing my breasts into now both of his eager hands. My nipples harder under his touch and become so sensitive that even his most gentle kiss to them brings a sharp gasp from my lips. I endure the slow burn from my core as he continues to worship my body until my core flares violently, making my hands grip his hair while my legs quiver and a soft moan of his name comes from my throat.

He slides me over and I shift up to rest my head on one on the thin pillows, pulling him by the neck with me. Gale props himself on one elbow as he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me onto my side and planting several lingering kisses to my lips. He pauses to look down at me with such love and joy in his twinkling eyes that I can't help but smile sweetly at him.

"I love you so much, Katniss" he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

"I know and I love you too, more than I thought I ever could." I say, my own voice filled with other feelings I can't say aloud. I turn to kiss him again, holding his chin in place with thumb and forefinger and his grip around my waist tightens.

His lips brush along my jaw line before sliding down to nuzzle against the thin flesh of my neck, pressing open mouth kisses that bring more moans of his name from my lips. I lift my head to expose more skin for him. One of my hands stays in his hair while the other slides lazily down his chest, fingertips circling his dark nipple, nails raking over the firm muscles of his abdomen. I hear his breath catch in his throat when my fingertips brush the skin just above the waistband of his trousers. The throb between my legs pulse's hard but somehow I manage to keep it together as I hook my thumb into one of his belt loop and jerk it down, making my intentions perfectly clear.

A gust of hot air, rushes against my neck as Gale sighs, "Katniss," he warns. "Remember what I said? I'm not expecting you to-"

"I know," I cut him off as our eyes meet, "But I want to, please just let me do this for you, I want to touch you." His eyes look into mind and I can tell he see's how serious I am. How much I want to do this for him and not because I feel obligated to do it but because I love him so much that I want to set his body on fire with the same passion he gives me. Slowly, he nods and whispers "ok"

I smile proudly and I begin to undo his trousers, willing my hands not to tremble in nervous anticipation. Nudity is nothing new to me, I've seen a few naked men in my time, but they were old, wrinkled and usually diseased patients of my mothers. Gale however is young, strong and if what I've heard from whispered conversation from other girl's around school are true, very impressive. So gathering my courage I unbutton his trousers and pull them down along with his underwear to just below his knees.

'Oh my god!' It's all I think when his erection springs free. He must sense my thought because his body tense up and that makes his manhood twitch before my eyes.

From the corner of my eyes, I see his hand comes up and rest on my shoulder. Turning, I see him studying my expression with guarded eyes, which must mean my attempt to hide my nervousness has failed. "Katniss, it's ok if you're having second thoughts-"

"No!" I say quickly trying to cover my tracks, "no, it's not that, its just…" my voice trails off as I blush, gesturing to him lying practically naked on my bed. "…You know?"

"It's still just me, Catnip," he says, his eyes softening.

"I know, you- you just surprised me is all" I say holding back a small laugh.

"Sorry bout that" he shrugs apologetically and out of the corner of my eye I see him twitch again.

"Don't be," I say returning my attention to his erection.

I change my position so my shoulder is at his hip and ignoring the flutter of butterflies within my stomach, reach out to roll my fingers along shaft. His foot jerks once then stills, I gulp, bite my bottom lip and continue to roll my fingertip up his shaft, over his head and back down again. The room is very quiet except for the sound of our breathing, Gale hardens and my confidence grows the longer I touch him, he gives a low moan of my name when I gently wrap my whole hand around him. He's warm within my hand and I'm amazed at just how hard he is and yet at also at how soft the skin is. I've no idea of how tight my grip should be so I hold him slightly loosely and begin to slowly stroke the length of him.

Taking a quick look up at him, I see his eyes have drifted close and a dopey grin has spread over his face. I smile at him and return my attention to my hand that continues to slide up and down his length. I'm amazed at just how enjoyable this new experience is for me, even though he is the one feeling immense pleasure right now the grin spreads across my face and fills my heart with satisfaction. Although it took a while to convince Gale that I didn't feel an obligation to do this I cannot deny it was well worth the wait. I find myself revelling in this feeling of control, of having him, literately in the palm of my hand. My grip tightens around him when I feel him twitch either involuntary or not I don't know but I carry on, feeling a curious urge to taste the small amount of moisture that's collected at the tip.

"Does that feel good?" I ask looking back to the dopey grin on his face.

"Katniss…that- ah! That feels amazing!" Gale whispers as his head lands onto the pillow, eyes shut, fists clenched into the sheets, his chest rising and falling with heavy breathing. I smile feeling proud and a little smug that I can bring such a reaction like this out of him. I decide to pick up the pace and begin to stroke him a little faster, tightening my grip and using Gale's groans of pleasure to teach me what he likes (which seems to be everything I do). Filled with confidence I certainly didn't have a week ago, I continue to pump him, using the steady rhythm he used when his finger slipped in and out of me.

I feel his body beginning to tense, judging by how hard his breathing is and how he's slowly turning to steel in my hands, I know he is close to his release. Going with my instincts, I slide myself up his body, sliding my tongue into his slacken mouth and roll it around his lips. He returns my kiss with equal intensity as my hand continues to pump him harder and faster. After a few more hard strokes, his back slightly arches, our lips slip apart and I feel him within my hand throb and release with a loud gasp of "Katniss!"

He falls back onto my bed sheets and after a few moments of recovery, he matches my grin with one of his own. He's euphoric due to his release and I smirk proud and pleased that I can give him the same pleasure he can give me. After a few more moments of recovery, Gale pulls out a rag from his pocket and cleans himself up. I look down at my hand to see a small amount of his seed on my fingers; seeing this he wordlessly offers me the rag. My self esteem, still soaring high and with the a memory of myself panting on Gale's floor still fresh in my thoughts, l lift my hand and lick my fingers clean all the while keeping my eyes locked on his. The taste is interesting to say the least. It's not unpleasant and defiantly tastes better then some of Greasy Sae's concoctions but the bitterness still taste strange on my tongue.

Gale's jaw drops wide as the proffered rag falls to the floorboards. His eyes look at me like I have done something truly shocking and I guess I have but right now my pride is too high to care. "Quit gawking, Hawthorne" I smirk at him.

He blinks twice, pulls his underwear back up and fully removes his trousers, slowly shaking his head, "Your amazing, Catnip, did I ever tell you that?" he says, eyes twinkling at me.

Following his lead, I remove my own trousers letting them join his at the foot of my bed but keep my underwear in place. "Maybe once or twice but please feel free to say it more often," I say trying to ignore the way his eyes linger on my exposed thighs. "You know, your pretty amazing yourself," I add, slipping underneath the blankets.

"Compared to you Katniss, I'm nothing." he chuckles, lying nose to nose with me under the old threadbare blanket. His arm wraps around my waist, a hand lingering on the small of my back, drawing lazy circles. "But, thanks all the same."

I know his comment is a joke but it ranges with me. For most of the year, Gale walks around the District projecting an air of submission like everyone else in twelve. He comes alive in the woods, which is the only real place he can safely vent out all the built up rage against the Capitol and the injustices of the county. In the beginning, it scared me to hear him speak like that but now I encourage him to let it out but only at our meeting place and not while we hunt.

Every now and again I've found myself wondering, what the world would be like if more people had Gale's courage to stand up and fight against the Capitol. It's a stupid thought though and I banish the idea remembering just how easily the Capitol stopped a rebellion during the dark days and even wiped out District 13 in the process.

Gale knows this but the fantasy of rallying the whole District together to start an uprising has flared within his heart over the past few years and continues to burn brightly. In a way I'm sure he could do it, there are enough people living here but I doubt anyone else has his determination, I know I don't. The image of him kneeling before a crowd in front of the justice building facing down the barrel of a Peacekeepers gun, enters unbidden into my mind and I winch.

"Catnip?" His voice is a gentle breeze across my cheek and looking I see the rebel has vanished, replaced by the boy I met in the woods.

"You're not nothing," I whisper back firmly and kiss him long and tenderly, felling his lips twitch in a smile. "And you don't need to thank me." I smile against his lips.

"After what you did for me, I'm wondering what I need to trade to get you a basket of fruit." he chuckles when our lips slide apart.

"Shut up" I smile and lightly smack his bare chest, he just laughs again before looking at me in a way that makes me feel as if I'm the only person in the world that matters.

My eyelids are begin to sting with fatigue, my body starting to feel very heavy when a wave of exhaustion sweeps over me and judging from Gale's slow blinking I can tell he feels the same. Sundays are of course our busies day of the week, rising before dawn, spending most of the day hunting in the woods before trading and heading home to collapse into bed. On top of all that today, I've have had to deal with Gale's knowledge of the Hobs secret bet, the enjoyable discovery of how I can intimately please Gale and of course, there was our declaration of love for each other. Overall, I guess is unsurprising that we are both exhausted. Judging from how black the night sky is and how silent the Seam is right now I'm guessing it's late. The only clock in the house is over the fireplace in the other room but I'm too comfortable lying here in Gale's arms to move.

"We should get some sleep," he sighs, his hot breath ghosts across my lips.

"Mmm" I hum in agreement. His body shift slightly and the small glow coming from behind me dies in a whoosh of Gale's breath as he blows the candle out. He settles himself back down and wraps both arms around me, holding me close. I lean forward to rest my forehead against the top of his chest, my own arms slide around his torso. We both let out a deep sigh and I wrap one of his legs within both of mine.

"Goodnight, Catnip" he whispers just audible enough.

"Night, Gale" I respond.

"I love you."

"I love you more," I smile into the darkness.

"I somehow doubt that" he says and I can hear the smirk in his voice.

"Well you better stop doubting and start believe it" I say holding him tight and our lips find each others in one last tender kiss until we are both to tired to continue then I fall asleep warmly wrapped in his arms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>*cough, cough* everyone still with me? Hope everyone enjoyed that and now sadly some bad news. Sorry but it seems like everyone will be in for a longer wait for next update as Ive come down with something that makes writing somewhat difficult at the moment. Errors are still my own point em out and ill sort them out.

So one last Merry Christmas wishes, have a Happy New Year and until next time.

Wolfskin.


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